Neighbor News
MECU partners with Towson teachers to encourage summer reading
MECU of Baltimore provides books for project led by Pleasant Plains staff
With the help of books provided by Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU) a group of Towson elementary school teachers is taking to the streets this summer to encourage their students to read while on summer break.
MECU donated a total of about 300 books to the “Pleasant Plains Paws for Education” effort. The books, which MECU collected through a book drive, will be loaded into “Panther Express Mobiles” and distributed around neighborhoods where Pleasant Plains students live on June 7.
The distribution, which will take place in the evening in an effort to encourage families to participate together, aims to reach students where they live.
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Each student and family that visits a Panther Express Mobile will receive free books as well as mathematics games and toys.
In May, MECU hosted a book giveaway at Yorkwood Elementary School, providing students at the Baltimore school with a total of about 2,250 new books to take home. MECU’s other seven partner schools will receive new books for kindergarten through second grade classrooms.
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“We’re thrilled to be able to help with great reading initiatives like the Panther Express Mobiles,” said Tom Poe, MECU Vice President of Marketing. “Reading skills are incredibly important to student development and success and we’re committed to helping our local students appreciate how fun reading can be.”
The hope, said teacher Jaclyn Silverthorne, one of the effort’s organizers, is to bring the book mobiles into the student neighborhoods multiple times over the summer. An additional giveaway is scheduled for July 19.
About MECU
Established in 1936, MECU is Baltimore City’s largest credit union, with assets of approximately $1.2 billion. MECU has 9 branches throughout the Baltimore area and offers a full range of financial products and services. The credit union also provides access to over 30,000 free ATMs and 5,000 shared branches nationwide through the CO-OP network. For more than 36 years, MECU has distinguished itself in the Baltimore community by returning more than $80 million in profits to its members as part of a cash bonus program that rewards members for choosing MECU. Learn more at www.mecu.com.
