Elementary School Students Take Home Books Provided By the Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association
The Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association (MPNCDA) recently donated more than 600 books to students at David Hill Elementary (in Hillsboro), Lincoln Park Elementary (in southeast Portland), and Sweetbriar Elementary (in Troutdale). MPNCDA donated the books to help fill the resource gap caused by the current public school funding crisis. The donation was made through Operation Outreach-USA, a national organization that provides schools with resources to build literacy among children.
“The Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association is the first dealer association in the country to support Operation Outreach, setting an important precedent for other businesses to follow suit, ” said Judy Golden, Operation Outreach president. “Since the MPNCDA’s donation, other dealer associations nationwide have expressed interest in supporting our mission, meaning more children will benefit from the joy of reading.”
Out of 30 local applicants, the three Portland metro area schools were selected as book recipients in a competitive application process based on need. Teachers incorporate the books into classroom learning through lesson plans provided by Operation Outreach. At the end of the term, each student receives two books to take home to add to their personal libraries.
“We have 300 students from the lowest socio-economic area of Washington county and are 29th from the bottom of the socio-economic index for the entire state of Oregon,” said Connie Johnson, fourth-grade teacher at David Hill Elementary. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity and eager to get stated with the materials.”
In one of many education-related efforts, Sean Kuni, MPNCDA board president and Chris Neuber, MPNCDA executive vice president, delivered the books to the students earlier this month. “The association feels very strongly about supporting education. Helping children embrace the value of reading has long-term implications for our community. Portland’s future depends on how well we prepare our children,” said Kuni. “You know you are making an impact when you realize you may have just given an eight-year-old child the first book they have ever owned.”
Established in 1914, the Metro Portland New Cars Dealers Association (MPNCDA) has operated as the advocate organization for the economic, educational and charitable activities related to the region’s automobile industry. Its mission is to promote the economic livelihood of consumers and new car and truck dealers throughout Portland metro area communities. The association currently represents more than 94 new car and truck dealers in the Portland metro area. For more information visit www.portlandnewcars.com.
Operation Outreach has been used in more than 31,000 classrooms with 718,000 students in schools in all 50 states. The program is free to schools and is supported by sponsors from the business community.
For more information visit www.oousa.org.