New National Record Set for "Read for the Record" Event

USO Puget Sound joined over 258,000 children nationwide as host

Seattle, WA September 27, 2007 – It’s official! Jumpstart’s Read for the Record 2007 Campaign set a new record for a single reading event on Sept. 20 when over 258,000 children participated in the national reading event. The USO Puget Sound hosted one of 1,900 reading events sponsored around the country on McChord Air Force Base at Carter Lake Elementary, and was one of three USO affiliates around the country selected to host an event.

Tracye Kakely, manager for the McChord USO Center, said, "The USO Puget Sound is committed to supporting our military families and that includes our military dependents. This was an opportunity to combine the importance of early education and literacy with community support for our military families."

The Pearson Foundation provided special editions of The Story of Ferdinand to children that participated in Jumpstart sponsored events all over the country, including Carter Lake Elementary. Pearson Foundation President Mark Nieker said, “It is a real honor to work with the USO and a privilege to help McChord AFB families take part in a campaign that helps children in communities across the country.”

Kakely hosted the event at Carter Lake Elementary on the McChord AFB. “The Read For The Record was a wonderful time for the children who participated. They were enthralled by The Story of Ferdinand and were excited to be able to bring their very own book home. Some of the children even said they could now read a bedtime story to their brother or sister,” Kakely said.

The McChord event last week was part of a nationwide reading day to raise awareness on the importance of developing early literacy skills in children. The USO Puget Sound was one of only three USO affiliates selected nationwide to host a reading event; the other USO locations were Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Fort Bliss, Texas.

Tom Hinman, president and executive director of the USO Puget Sound Area (USOPSA) said that the USO Puget Sound affiliate was selected due to “our child-friendly USO centers, and efforts to support military families throughout the region.” “We have thousands of families that feel the reality of troop deployments, which makes community support for these families even more important.”

Highlights include:

• Jumpstart broke the record for the greatest shared reading experience ever - over 258,000 (and counting!) children participated at 1,900 events nationwide!

• To-date, the three states with the most participants are Texas, California, and Louisiana.

• Top three cities with the greatest number of participants are San Antonio, TX; Naucalpan, Mexico; and Mesa, AZ.

• More than 100,000 copies of the official campaign book were donated to children in low-income communities.

For more information go to www.readfortherecord.org

# # #

About the USO Puget Sound

Nationally recognized, the USO Puget Sound has served over 3 million of America’s men and women in uniform and their families for over 40 years. The mission of USO Puget Sound is to provide a “home away from home,” family support, and recreation opportunities to the members and families of our Armed Forces. As a private, nonprofit organization, the USO works to connect individuals, civic groups and businesses in service to the region’s military community.
www.usopsa.org

Contact:

Carrie Shaw
(425) 344-1787