Tata companies unite to support First Book and distribute 65,000 new books to children in need
February 27, 2008

Second graders at Dodge Park Elementary School to receive first donation at suburban Washington celebration event

First Book and the Tata Group North America representatives gathered today at Eight O'Clock Coffee in Landover, MD, to kick off the distribution of 65,000 new books to children in need nationwide. Second grade students from Dodge Park Elementary School were the first students to receive brand-new books as a result of the support of The Tata Group North America, one of the world's most trusted corporate brands, and its companies. The students participated in reading circles with Tata company representatives to celebrate First Book's mission to provide new books to disadvantaged children.

Together with the Tata Group representatives, Prince George's County council members from District 5, Andrea Harrison, deputy chief of staff and policy director, and Sharon Howard, education / community liaison distributed and read books to the Dodge Park Elementary students. The Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development was represented by David Lewis.

The celebration marked the efforts of six Tata Group companies who joined together during the 2007 holiday season to support First Book, an award-winning nonprofit organisation with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. The combined support of Tata Sons, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Interactive Systems, Eight O'Clock Coffee, Tata Communications and Corus, will allow First Book to distribute 65,000 new books, valued at $260,000, to programmes serving children in need throughout the United States.

In addition, Tata Interactive Systems provided in-kind support to First Book to help design a new online network that will enable First Book to communicate more effectively and efficiently with its more than 50,000 partners and donors, hundreds of volunteer-based local advisory boards, and thousands of community-based programmes serving children in need.

"First Book is tremendously grateful for the generous support of the Tata Group and its companies, which will help to share the joy of reading and learning with thousands of children in need across the United States," said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. "Through the magic of books, First Book and The Tata Group are helping children to discover new worlds and realise brighter futures."

"The Tata Group has a long heritage of focusing on education in the communities in which it operates. We believe that doing good is doing good business — and this is a good example of how we use our resources constructively to invest in future generations," says David Good, chief representative, The Tata Group North America. "The Tata Group is proud that so many of our companies have pooled their resources and attention to make a difference in the education of so many children."

"As part of the Tata Group, TCS continues to carry on the tradition and values of giving back to the communities in which we operate," said Surya Kant, president of TCS's North America operations. "We are proud to be doing our part to ensure that the youth of America are getting the knowledge they need to succeed in the world of tomorrow."