Reach Out and Read National Center

June 25, 2010
Matt Ferraguto

On Sunday, June 27, the nationwide school readiness program Reach Out and Read and its CEO Earl Martin Phalen will be honored by the entertainment industry at the 2010 BET Awards.  Phalen and Reach Out and Read will be presented with the “Shine a Light / Local Heroes Award” for preparing millions of children nationwide to succeed in school and helping to break the cycle of poverty.

 

Earl Martin Phalen was born into the foster care system, but graduated from Yale University, Harvard Law School, and is now a nationally-recognized education leader and social entrepreneur.  Phalen is the CEO of Reach Out and Read, a team of 30,000 doctors, nurses, and volunteers who together serve 3.9 million children and families nationwide, including nearly one million African-American children and more than one-third of children living in poverty.

 

Reach Out and Read targets children who are at greatest risk for school failure and illiteracy, and provides them with high quality children’s books and their parents with reading tips and guidance on the importance of reading aloud.  Fourteen research studies confirm that Reach Out and Read works – families served by the program read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental age over their peers.

 

“This award is a testament to leaders like Reach Out and Read’s co-founder Dr. Robert Needlman and thousands more physicians and community volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that every child arrives at school prepared to succeed,” said Earl Martin Phalen, Chief Executive Officer of Reach Out and Read.  “When we come together to improve our communities, phenomenal things can happen. On behalf of the doctors, nurses, and volunteers who participate in Reach Out and Read, I want to also personally thank BET and CEO Debra Lee for their strong commitment to our children and families.”

 

Hosted by Oscar nominee Queen Latifah, The BET Awards will be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and will air June 27, 2010 at 8pm.  BET is owned by Viacom Inc. and distributed into 104 million households in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The BET Awards Show recognizes excellence in entertainment and professional sports. It is the #1 awards show on cable television. For more information about the 2010 BET Awards, visit: http://betawards.bet.com/.  For more information about Reach Out and Read, visit: http://www.reachoutandread.org/.

 

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