SoCalGas Partners with Reading Heart to Host Largest-Ever Community-wide Book Fair Distributing Free Books to Corcoran Residents
Aug 29, 2022
Over 20,000 books were donated to the community of Corcoran to promote education and spread the love of reading
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and student-run nonprofit, Reading Heart, partnered with the City of Corcoran to host the nonprofit's largest-ever, community-wide Book Fair which provided over 20,000 free books to Corcoran residents.
"SoCalGas is proud to partner with Reading Heart to host this first-ever, city-wide book fair for the residents of Corcoran," said Andy Carrasco, SoCalGas vice president of communications, local government and community affairs. "At SoCalGas we are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve through giving of our time and support. This book fair energized a community by providing enough books for every resident in the city and we are grateful for the partnership with Reading Heart and the City of Corcoran."
"I started Reading Heart to share my love of reading with other children and I am beyond thrilled that we were able to provide 20,000 books-one for every resident in Corcoran-at the Book Fair. This is our largest event to date, and it would not have been possible without the generous support of SoCalGas," said Danay Ferguson (age 15), who founded Reading Heart when she was 8 years old.
The community event was filled with music, games, entertainment and most importantly, stacks of books for residents to choose from. The first-of-its-kind event was designed to make books more accessible to students and promote reading in the Central Valley where illiteracy is one of the biggest challenges facing young students. Each student that attended the community-wide book fair received a free book and was encouraged to participate in the reading challenges hosted by Reading Heart.
In the weeks leading up to the community-wide book fair, Reading Heart hosted three book fairs at elementary schools across the city including Bret Harte Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, and John C. Fremont Elementary. Images and videos from those events can be found here.
"We are honored to have been a part of this wonderful event," said Corcoran Mayor Patricia Nolen. "You could feel the excitement in the air when each and every Corcoran resident had the chance to pick out a book and take it home! Reading is such a critical part of shaping our children's future, I'm so glad to have such great community partners in Reading Heart and SoCalGas that helped make this event a reality."
"This book fair in Corcoran is the largest event Reading Heart has ever had-providing enough books for every single resident in the city! My daughter Danay started Reading Heart when she was 8 years old because she wanted to spread the joy of reading to other children, and I believe that our mission was accomplished in Corcoran thanks to the generous support of SoCalGas," said Dwayne Ferguson, CEO of Reading Heart.
To make this event possible, SoCalGas donated $6,000 to Reading Heart to support its mission for each child has access to books. This donation underscores SoCalGas' commitment to not only furthering children's education, but championing people and communities throughout our Central Valley service area.
About SoCalGas
SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States, serving more than 21 million consumers across approximately 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Our mission is: Safe, Reliable, and Affordable energy delivery today. Ready for tomorrow. SoCalGas is a recognized leader in the energy industry and has been named Corporate Member of the Year by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce for its volunteer leadership in the communities it serves. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), a leading North American energy infrastructure company. For more information, visit SoCalGas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on social media @SoCalGas.
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