Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n
I’m officially on a break until next Tuesday but this time-sensitive item popped into my in-box is worth noting.<\/p>\n
Giving back.\u00a0 <\/strong> As part of its continuing efforts to promote literacy and in order to provide books to those children in America most in need, Walden Media and the Weinstein Company (TWC) have partnered with the National Education Association\u2019s\u00a0Read Across America to launch the \u201cTicket to a Better World\u201d initiative.\u00a0 Fifty cents of each\u00a0The Giver<\/i>\u00a0movie ticket sold during Labor Day Weekend will be donated to the Ticket to a Better World initiative to raise up to a quarter of a million dollars to buy books for those children most in need.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Walden Executive Francis X. \u201cChip\u201d Flaherty stated, \u201cThe Giver <\/i> affirms our belief that individuals must have the freedom to pursue and fulfill their dreams.\u00a0 That freedom is precisely the gift that reading and literacy provide.\u00a0 Every time you put a book in the hands of a child, you unleash the power of imagination and hope that can change the world.\u00a0 We are honored to partner with Read Across America to launch the \u2018Ticket to a Better World\u2019 campaign and get books into the hands of kids who need them the most.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cBooks open the floodgates to understanding and to learning,\u201d says Anita Merina, national coordinator of NEA\u2019s Read Across America. \u201cThis generous initiative will help us bring books like The Giver,<\/i>\u00a0onto the shelves and into the lives of so many children. At a time when access to books is so critical in the learning life of a child, this initiative is very exciting indeed.”<\/span><\/p>\n Commented TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein, \u201cBehind this incredible movie that TWC and Walden are so proud of is one of the most beloved books of our time. Joining forces with the NEA\u2019s fantastic Read Across America initiative is a perfect opportunity to support the cause for literacy behind the powerful name of The Giver.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0To help support please visit: <\/span><\/span>www.Walden.com\/TicketToABetterWorld<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \n