BOSTON, Sept. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Raising A Reader Massachusetts (MA) and UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) have
announced a new partnership to bring the early literacy organization’s signature Red Bag Book program to UniFirst employees,
providing them with access to children’s books at no charge and the opportunity for parents to learn reading techniques, regardless
of their reading comfort level.
Raising A Reader MA and UniFirst share a similar commitment to supporting the community. The Raising A Reader MA Red Bag Book
program supplies participants with bags filled with high quality, culturally appropriate children’s book. By providing tools that
focus on education and early literacy, the goal is to eliminate the opportunity gap that impacts success in school and beyond.
“The launch of our first corporate program validates our work to address the issue of low reading proficiency,” said Christine
Ward, interim executive director of Raising A Reader MA. “UniFirst is a philanthropic leader, focused on family and building a
strong and inclusive corporate culture. This is just the beginning and we expect other corporations to follow, allowing otherwise
isolated groups to be able to access our critical early literacy resources.”
As part of this partnership, Raising A Reader MA will honor Cynthia Croatti, executive vice president of UniFirst, at their
annual Leadership in Literacy Award Breakfast. The award recognizes business leaders who inspire through their leadership and
utilize their influence to change lives through literacy and learning. Croatti will be honored for her support of early literacy
and focus on innovative nonprofit/corporate partnerships.
“We are fortunate to have wonderfully diverse employees at the foundation of our business,” said Croatti. “By offering an
enhanced employee benefit that assists with developing early literacy skills, we’re helping to improve their lives and the
community, as well as preparing the next generation of readers and leaders.”
“We’re honored to have Cynthia recognized with the Leadership in Literacy Award. Raising A Reader MA has created strong programs
that allow families and caregivers to understand the important role they play in early child development,” said Adam Soreff,
director of marketing and communications at UniFirst. “Cynthia has been a strong supporter of early literacy and corporate
partnerships with nonprofits. This award acknowledges her accomplishments and continued focus on providing employee benefits that
strengthen the current and future workforce,” he added.
Raising A Reader MA will also recognize House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo with the Legislator of the Year Award for his tireless
work in supporting early education and care. The public support continues to strengthen this corporate/nonprofit partnership to
eliminate the opportunity gap. The Leadership in Literacy Award Breakfast will take place October 27, 2017, at the Mandarin
Oriental, Boston from 7:30–9:00 a.m. For additional information on the event sponsorship opportunities, and how to purchase tickets
or place an ad, please Click Here (www.501auctions.com/raisingareaderma), or visit http://raisingareaderma.org/.
About Raising A Reader MA
Raising A Reader MA is an evidence-based early literacy program that helps families of young children (birth through age six)
develop, practice, and maintain habits of reading together at home. Raising A Reader MA’s core program increases access to books
and offers support for strengthening the culture of reading at home. The model is driven by more than 25 years of research that
shows the most significant factor impacting a child’s academic success is being regularly read to by a parent or other primary
adult caregiver before starting kindergarten.
About UniFirst Corporation
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of
uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company
also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries.
UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products, and with 250 service locations,
300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day.
UniFirst is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol UNF and is a component of the
Standard & Poor's 600 Small Cap Index. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.
CONTACTS:
Adam Soreff,
UniFirst, Director of Communications
978.527.4349
asoreff@unifirst.com
Christine Ward
Raising A Reader MA
617.292.2665
christine@raisingareaderma.org
