In preparation for National Young Readers Week, Pizza Hut and BOOK IT! have announced the ten Pizza Hut restaurants chosen as winners of the first ever Big Book Giveaway. Each winner will be awarded 1,000 books to distribute within their communities during National Young Readers Week, which will be held Nov. 8-12, 2010.
For the Big Book Giveaway contest, the more than 6,200 Pizza Hut restaurants nationwide were invited to submit ideas on how they would distribute 1,000 books to children in their communities. Each entry completed a form describing how the donation of books would impact the community and support literacy tied to the BOOK IT! Program. Many of the winners are hosting parties for local children and families to award the books.
“The enthusiasm and creativity demonstrated by our restaurant system during the Big Book Giveaway entry process was amazing,” said Leslie Brunt, program director of BOOK IT! “National Young Readers Week is all about bringing out the fun in reading. With these clever ideas for distributing books to children, we’ll be able to bring joy to deserving communities across the country.”
Founded in 1989 by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, National Young Readers Week is an annual event that encourages young readers to get excited about reading. Events are hosted in schools across the country, where local officials, sports figures, public safety officers, parents and other “celebrities” from the community share their favorite stories with students to help reinforce the importance of reading and to encourage reading for enjoyment.
BOOK IT! Big Book Giveaway Winning Locations and Concepts:
- Louisburg, Kan. – Essay/art challenge to students, teacher tug-of-war, and BOOK IT! celebration night for two local schools.
- Oak Grove, Mo. – City-wide carnival with the local school district complete with literacy awareness and BOOK IT! booths. Students will earn tickets to “buy” a book.
- Muncie, Ind. – Promote reading in the Ball State homecoming parade complete with the WingStreet chicken sporting a BOOK IT! t-shirt, encouraging kids to Rock the Red and READ!
- Portsmouth, Ohio – Partner with local organizations to improve high illiteracy rates. Host a community party at Portsmouth Elementary to kickoff monthly Community Reading Days.
- Miami, Okla. – Fun-filled family reading nights at five local elementary schools where each child takes home a brand new book.
- Gunnison, Colo. – Saturday celebration in the Pizza Hut parking lot with sirens blasting as the Gunnison Valley Fire Department delivers the books to local youth.
- Ottawa, Ohio – After a devastating flood destroyed much of this small community in 2007, a new library re-opens with the help of new books from Pizza Hut.
- Fairbury, Neb. – Fundraiser during National Young Readers Week to raise dollars and deliver books to local children. Patrons have the opportunity to sponsor a book for $1.
- West Point, Neb. – Create a “book flood” of new books for 2nd generation BOOK IT! readers in need of gently used books.
- Golden Valley, Minn. – An interactive texting promotion for schools during National Young Readers Week. Students and families text the school name and amount of books they pledge to read. The top five schools with the most entries win the books.
In 1985, Pizza Hut established the BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program to motivate children to read more and help them develop a lifelong love of reading. BOOK IT! is a six-month program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. For more information, visit www.bookitprogram.com.
