Praxair employees assembled literacy kits to benefit first graders at South Street School, celebrate Dr. King’s legacy
DANBURY, CT -- The United Way of Western Connecticut is proud to announce that it partnered with Praxair, Inc. to orchestrate an in-house volunteer activity to acknowledge and celebrate the meaning of service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, ahead of Black History Month.
The project involved numerous Praxair employees on January 15, 2018, assembling 100 literacy kits to benefit first grade students at South Street School in Danbury, thereby giving back to the local community and benefitting the lives of children. The literacy kits included an age-appropriate Martin Luther King, Jr. book, and activities with a focus on Black History Month designed to make reading interactive and enjoyable for young readers. Praxair has scaled this activity across their other major U.S. locations including Houston, Burr Ridge and Tonawanda.
“Praxair has a strong culture of diversity and inclusion and we are proud to work with United Way to support Dr. King’s legacy of equality and justice for all in our communities,” said Vanessa Abrahams-John, Praxair Executive Director, Diversity, Inclusion & Talent Acquisition.
The literacy kits are helpful to all students, and especially to those who may not have a wide range of books or other literacy materials in their home.
“As education was critical to Dr. King’s message of empowerment and equality, we were honored to partner with Praxair on this service project to benefit South Street School and support literacy,” said Kimberly Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut.
To learn more about United Way’s corporate sponsorship programs, please contact Stacy Schulman at 203-826-8479 or stacy.schulman@uwwesternct.org
High-Resolution Photos (with captions) are available at https://photos.app.goo.gl/4M4cXc77LifAkojs1
About United Way of Western Connecticut
United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) improves the lives of hard-working, struggling households by mobilizing the resources of local communities to create lasting change. We help residents across Northern Fairfield County, Southern Litchfield County and the City of Stamford by focusing on the vital building blocks for a good life: Education, Financial Stability and Health. We are committed to ensuring that every child enters school ready to learn, every family is financially stable, and every community we serve is healthy and strong. We are particularly focused on a population that United Way identifies as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) in our communities. A United Way report published in October 2016 revealed that in Connecticut, more than 1 in 4 households has earnings above the Federal Poverty Level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. Combined with those who are struggling below poverty level, 38% of all households in the state are experiencing financial hardship. By leveraging the collective power of the community, we are focused on creating an environment where individuals and families are self-sufficient and can achieve financial independence. For more information about United Way of Western Connecticut, please visit: www.uwwesternct.org. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. Watch us on YouTube.
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Contact:
Sofia Dupi
United Way of Western Connecticut
203-297-6726
Sofia.dupi@uwwesternct.org
Website: www.uwwesternct.org