"Because of You!", Inspired by Upcoming Twentieth Century Fox/Walden Media Release Because of Winn-Dixie, Responds to NEA Reading at Risk Report
January 31, 2005
BOSTON - Walden Media has partnered with the National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), Sunrise Senior Living and the Heartland Film Festival to launch "Because of You!", a reading program that encourages children to volunteer and read with senior citizens in their community, it was announced today by Walden Media President Micheal Flaherty. The program is a direct response to the 2004 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at Risk report, which describes a steep and rapid decline in literary reading among the young and seniors in America, as well as a corollary decline in volunteerism in the country.
"Because of You!" is a simple, effective, three-step program: member groups of the NCY, an association of youth organizations that includes the Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Inc., Campfire USA, National 4H Council, and YMCA of the USA, representing 46 million kids nationwide, will join together to read the same book: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. A major subplot of the best-selling Newbery Honor Book involves the book's young heroine Opal, befriending a librarian and then taking time to read to a senior who lives in her community. With the themes of the film in mind, member groups of the NCY will volunteer at Sunrise Senior Living communities, the nation's largest provider of senior living services, where they will read the book to Sunrise residents. Once they have completed reading the book together, they will watch the story come to life when the Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media release Because of Winn-Dixie opens in theaters nationwide on February 18.
"All of Walden Media's films have educational messages and programs at their core," said Flaherty. "We are thrilled that our latest film will help more kids become active readers and lifelong learners because of Winn-Dixie."
Added NCY President Irv Katz, "This is more than an opportunity to see a good movie about a good book; it is an opportunity to promote good choices in movie viewing, think about important issues and emotions that we all face, and encourage reading for fun, a habit that will serve children well their entire lives."
"Because of You!" will kick off with a special screening of Because of Winn-Dixie in Arlington, Virginia, where a pilot version of the program is already underway with students from Merritt Academy in Fairfax volunteering at Washington, DC area Sunrise Senior Living centers. The screening, which will be the culmination of the program for its participants, will be held on Saturday, February 5 at 10:00am at the Ballston Common Stadium 12. This will be supplemented by screenings for 10,000 reading teachers and librarians nationwide on February 5 and February 12. In partnership with Walden Media and NCY, Sunrise Senior Living plans to roll out the program to its more than 370 locations nationwide.
"Sunrise communities have a long tradition of connecting its residents with local children," said Carol Edelstein, vice president for Program Development at Sunrise Senior Living. "Intergenerational programs such as 'Because of You!' offer poignant activities for seniors and children to share and discuss. Because of Winn-Dixie is a timely story that exemplifies many of the wonderful friendships we've seen develop between seniors and children."
Developed at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, where Because of Winn-Dixie won the Truly Moving Pictures Award in October 2004, "Because of You!" directly deals with numerous issues addressed in Reading at Risk. Released in July 2004 by the NEA, the report outlined a series of distressing trends in reading and volunteerism amongst Americans. As stated by NEA Chairman Dana Gioia in the report's preface, "Literary reading in America is not only declining among all groups, but the rate has accelerated, especially among the young." He further notes that the results foretell "a larger retreat from participation in civic and cultural life, not only affect[ing] literature but all the arts - as well as social activities such as volunteerism." By marrying the themes of literacy and volunteerism, "Because of You!" provides a way to reach the two biggest at-risk groups noted in the report: the young and seniors.
Because of Winn-Dixie official film site: www.becauseofwinndixie.com
Walden Media: www.walden.com
National Collaboration for Youth: www.nassembly.org
Sunrise Senior Living: www.sunriseseniorliving.com
Heartland Film Festival: www.heartlandfilmfestival.org
Twentieth Century Fox: www.fox.com/corporate
