This Valentine’s Day, give children living in poverty a lifelong love of reading to help break the lifelong cycle of poverty, one Valentine at a time.
Save the Children's U.S. Programs and the organization’s artist ambassador Julianne Moore have invited beloved children’s book authors and illustrators Ian Falconer, Kevin Henkes, Leuyen Pham, Brian Selznick and Mo Willems to design limited-edition Valentine’s cards benefiting Save the Children’s U.S. Programs “Love to Read, Read to Live” campaign.
“Nearly 1 in 4 children in the U.S. lives in poverty and most of them don’t have any books in their homes,” said Moore, who credits her upbringing as an “Army kid” living all over the country for opening her eyes to the reality of poverty in the United States. “You can see why these kids often fall behind in school, and then in life.”
More than 60 percent of low-income households have no books at all in their homes and only about one-third of American fourth-graders are proficient in reading. When poverty is added into the mix, a student who can’t read on grade level by 3rd grade is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her more proficient peers.
“Every child deserves a fair chance at a bright future,” said Mark Shriver, Save the Children’s Senior Vice President for U.S. Programs. “But we know that without resources like books in the home, in- and after-school reading support, and educational interventions so common in well-funded communities, these 16 million kids living in poverty will be left behind.”
This preventable, educational divide is why Save the Children and Moore are promoting sharing the love of reading to support the lifelong literacy of kids living in poverty in the United States. For a $25 donation, purchasers get a 30-card boxed set of limited-edition Valentines from artists your children know and love. All proceeds go to Save the Children to support education, health and resiliency programs in the United States, and your donation is tax deductible.
To give your child Valentines that keep on giving, order your cards by February 6 to ensure delivery on time for Valentine’s Day! Save the Children’s Valentine’s Day cards are available at www.savethechildren.org/valentines or by calling 1-800-728-3843.
