Altura Credit Union Helps Provide 40,000 Books for Students
September 17, 2015
Riverside, Calif.� Teachers in the Inland Empire recently picked up about 40,000 books for their students in a free giveaway thanks to a collaboration between Altura Credit Union, Cal State San Bernardinos�Watson and Associates Literacy Center, First Book and SolarMax Technologies.
Altura Credit Union covered a portion of the logistical costs of distributing the books and made a donation to CSUSB for the Literacy Center.� SolarMax stored the books and served as the distribution center. �About 300 teachers picked up books. Employees from Altura were among the 85 volunteers who organized the 32 pallets of books and assisted with distribution.
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"Learning to read is critical to a childs success both in school and as an adult," said Altura President and CEO Mark Hawkins. "Access of books helps children develop those needed literacy skills. Thats why Altura happily agreed to participate in this project."
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Tina Covington, Alturas vice president of Business Development, added, "This program is a perfect collaboration for us. It helps teachers and students by giving books to those who most need them in the Inland Empire."
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Richonette "Ricki" McManuis, director of development for CSUSBs College of Education, where the literacy center is housed, said the event had two goals: To get teachers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties familiar with the literacy center and its services for them and for their students, and to get books into the hands of children, especially those in families where books are not affordable.
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First Book, which provided the majority of the books distributed, says studies have shown that in middle income neighborhoods, the ratio is one book per 13 children, while in low-income neighborhoods, that ratio is one book for every 300 children, with cost being the major barrier. First Book is striving to change those stats by providing low-income children with new books. First Book points out that there is a direct link between access to books and reading skills.
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Photo: Altura Credit Union employees, shown here, were among 85 volunteers who sorted 32 pallets of books and helped distribute them to Inland Empire teachers and students. The 40,000 book giveaway was a collaboration between Altura Credit Union, Cal State San Bernardinos Watson and Associates Literacy Center, First Book and SolarMax Technologies.
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The Watson and Associates Literacy Center at the Cal State San Bernardino College of Education was created in 2004 to help students from kindergarten through high school improve their reading and writing skills, and their listening and speaking skills. The center provides tutoring and specialized programs to improve literacy skills.
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Altura Credit Union is very proud of its 58 years of service to Members in the Inland Empire.� Altura Credit Union now serves 118,000 Members, has nearly $1.15 billion in total assets and operates 14 branch offices in Riverside County.� Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Riverside and San Diego counties; selected cities in San Bernardino and Orange counties; as well as U.S. Military, U.S. Government and Civilian employees working at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County; and retirees of the United States Armed Forces. �Altura is a past-recipient of the California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE), the states equivalent of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.�� For more information on Altura, visit www.alturacu.com, or call 1-888-883-7228.