Press Releases

NASHVILLE ALLIANCE HONORS FOUNDER NELSON ANDREWS
WITH READING INITIATIVES
October 19, 2009

The Nashville Alliance for Public Education is kicking off two new reading initiatives this month. Inspired by the late Nelson Andrews, founder of the Nashville Alliance, the group is donating library books to Metro schools, and also partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Tennessee to provide books to include in Second Harvest’s BackPack program.

The Nashville Alliance will donate copies of “The Day Anthony Counted to a Googol,” a book written by school board member Mark North, to 80 elementary schools. The donation is in memory of Andrews, who was committed to improving Metro Nashville Public Schools and who believed that one of the most important tasks that schools face is helping students read at their grade level.

Head of guidance services Erin Ugboaja distributes books
to Buena Vista Elementary students.

“This donation, along with our Books for BackPacks program, gives students the opportunity to further their educations outside the classroom,” said Pam Garrett, executive director of the Nashville Alliance. “Nelson Andrews strongly believed that reading was the cornerstone of the development of any student, and this program helps provide a print-rich environment for the students who need it the most.”

The Nashville Alliance’s pilot program, “Books for BackPacks,” is a strategic partnership with Second Harvest. The books accompany the backpacks students receive from Second Harvest’s BackPack program, which provides children in need with a package of food to take home on weekends. The program will provide 120 Buena Vista Elementary School students with books to take home every other week. The program’s success will be evaluated following its completion. If proved to be effective, it will be expanded to the other six Metro schools Second Harvest serves.

Pam Garrett, executive director of the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, distributes books to Buena Vista Elementary students.

The mission of Second Harvest Food Bank’s BackPack program is to meet the needs of hungry children by providing nutritious and easy-to-prepare food at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations. Second Harvest began providing the BackPack program in 2004, and now serves children at 23 sites in 11 middle Tennessee counties.

“Second Harvest is very excited about this partnership with the Nashville Alliance because we know that supplementing these backpacks with essential literature is an effective way to encourage reading outside of the classroom while addressing hunger among our elementary school students,” said Jaynee Day, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank.

About the Nashville Alliance for Public Education
The Nashville Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to securing private resources to help improve Metro Nashville Public Schools. Since its inception, the organization has raised millions of dollars to advance student success in key academic areas such as reading, language arts, music, math and science. The Nashville Alliance also supports programs and initiatives to improve graduation rates and enhance the professional development of public school educators.

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