Best-selling Children’s Author Mo Willems to Match Donations to First Book Up to $50,000

Join Mo Willems, wife Cher and First Book to equip classrooms and programs with new books for children in need

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2016 – Mo Willems, author and illustrator of the award-winning Elephant & Piggie books, and his wife Cher are matching up to $50,000 in new donations to First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books for children in need. Thanks to their support, individual contributions to First Book will bring twice as many books to schools and programs to fuel learning.

“We know that books are a critical resource for learning, and yet for an estimated 32 million U.S. children who are growing up in low-income families, books are scarce: at home, at school and in their communities,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Mo and Cher Willems have dedicated immeasurable time, effort, and resources to help us provide critical access to brand new books for classrooms and programs across the country. This match will extend our reach to include so many more children in need this back-to-school season. We could not be more grateful to Mo and Cher and their continued commitment to help inspire a love of reading.”

The match is available through September 30 and applies to all individual, unrestricted gifts supporting First Book’s national efforts on behalf of children from low-income families. Donations can be made here through First Book’s website.

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About First Book

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 275,000 members, is the largest and fastest growing network of educators exclusively serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

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