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Televisions & Teens -
Time to Talk Reading
DALLAS, Nov. 11, 2003: How are teenagers spending their
leisure time? Teens in the United States spend more than 16.7
hours a week online surfing the Internet, as well as 13.6
hours watching television. What they are not doing is reading.
A survey conducted among people between the
ages of 13 and 24 years old revealed that teenagers spend
twice as much time per week watching TV as reading books or
magazines for pleasure. With such little time devoted toward
reading it is no wonder that the lack of literacy skills among
teenagers has been such a growing concern.
In an effort to help address this issue,
Morningstar Foods, distributor and marketer of HERSHEY'S®
Milks and Milk Shakes, and the American Library Association
(ALA) are kicking off the third year of their national teen
reading program, Get on Board and Read @ your library, with
professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk. Together, they will
encourage teens to get on board and read their favorite books
while they open their minds to the world of reading.
"When I'm home, I read to my sons every night in the hope that
they'll grow up to love books as much as I do," said
professional skateboarder and program spokesperson, Tony Hawk.
"Get on Board and Read @ your library is a way for me to help
encourage other kids to read and hopefully decrease these
statistics."
"The teen community is important to Morningstar Foods --
HERSHEY'S Milks and MilkShakes were developed with this
community in mind. We are excited to continue our commitment
to teen reading and the nation's libraries," said Julie Cary,
vice president of Morningstar Foods. "We want to excite teens
about reading, as literacy is critically important to their
future success."
Teens ages 12 to 18 years are encouraged to get involved in
the Get on Board and Read @ your library program. They are
invited to check out a book from their local library and
submit an entry about why the book is meaningful. Teens can
submit entries on their own or in a team of up to four people.
The winning individual(s) will meet Tony Hawk. Interested
teens should go to
www.hersheysmilk.com/ for additional program details.
During the past two years, Morningstar Foods and ALA have
recruited thousands of teens and libraries nationwide to
participate in this teen reading program. The @ your library
programs have given teens a chance to discover the value of
libraries, to check out and read books and to discover the
world of limitless possibilities available through reading.
Get On Board and Read is part of the ALA's Campaign for
America's Libraries, a national public education effort about
the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st Century.
"At the American Library Association, we understand that a
teen who reads is a teen who succeeds," says ALA Executive
Director Keith Michael Fiels. "Libraries play an absolutely
critical role in teen reading by providing high interest
materials and programs that can catch the interest of even the
most reluctant reader. Through this partnership, we can help
libraries reach teens with a fun reading program that rewards
them for using their imagination -- and their local
libraries."
Morningstar Foods
Morningstar Foods is a subsidiary of Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF)
, one of the nation's leading food and beverage companies.
Cream. For more information, visit www.deanfoods.com .
American Library Association:
The American Library Association (ALA) is the voice of
America's libraries and the millions of people who depend on
them. The mission of the American Library Association is to
provide leadership for the development, promotion and
improvement of library and information services and the
profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and
ensure access to information for all. |
