Philadelphia Students Try to Help Break a World Record by Participating in National Jumpstart's Read

What:

On October 4th, Gesu School, an independent Catholic school in North Philadelphia targeting students from low-income families, and Comcast employees will participate in Jumpstart's Read for the Record^® (JRFTR) campaign. Gesu School will participate in one of 250 events across the country to set a new world reading record to raise awareness of the importance of high quality early education. JRFTR, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, is the annual day of the year when millions of individuals come together to celebrate literacy in an effort to jumpstart a child's future. This year, adults and children across the country are encouraged to read Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. In 2011, more than 2.2 million people participated in the campaign, and Jumpstart is on track to break that record this year.

Comcast volunteers will read the 2012 book selection to Gesu School preschoolers, as well as play games and participate in activities, such as puppet making and rock painting. The students will also get a surprise visit from the character "Super WHY!" from the PBS adventure series designed to provide children with the critical skills they need to read. Since 2006, Jumpstart has raised more than $7 million for early education programs and provided more than 1 million books for children in low-income neighborhoods.

Who:

-- Students from Philadelphia's Gesu School and Comcast employees

-- Ashley Huff, Senior Director, Program Implementation, Jumpstart

-- Charisse Lillie, Vice President, Community Investment, Comcast Corporation and President, Comcast Foundation

When:

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Book Reading & Activities 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

Where:

Comcast Center

1701 JFK Blvd., 44^th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

RSVP:

Please RSVP to:

Katie Lubenow, 215-286-5691, katie_lubenow@comcast.com or

Lisa Ferri, 215-286-7676, lisa_ferri@comcast.com