View Cart K-12 Teachers Stock Up on Donated Reading Material for Kids
RIVERSIDE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An estimated 300 teachers, from the Coachella Valley all the way to Los Angeles, recently surrendered their Saturday morning and afternoon for a trip to SolarMax Technology (solarmaxtech.com) headquarters in Riverside. The reason: Free school books – 20,000 of them – all ready for kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms in the Inland Empire.
“It takes an army to organize and produce something on this scale and the troops came through with a five-star performance”
A sweeping, region-wide effort coordinated by California State University – San Bernardino and the Watson and Associates Literacy Center, the event served as the kick-off for a campaign that will ultimately put tens of thousands of new books into the hands of school-aged youngsters. Monetary and in-kind gifts provided by corporate partners such as Altura Credit Union, First Book and SolarMax helped finance the literacy initiative.
A large contingent of volunteers from various nonprofit and community organizations provided the labor necessary to stage the drive. Partners included Teen Challenge, UC-Riverside Circle K, Poly High School Key Club, Marriott Hotels and a number of individual volunteers. Many were personal friends of CSUSB Director of Development, College of Education, Richonette “Ricki” McManuis, who led the event as part of an effort to raise awareness among teachers about the literacy center’s one-to-one tutoring programs for youngsters between the ages of 6-18, as well as graduate and credential programs offered with the university’s College of Education.
“It takes an army to organize and produce something on this scale and the troops came through with a five-star performance,” said Ms. McManuis. “It’s perhaps fitting, given that the SolarMax Technology facility once served as a manufacturing facility for U.S. armed forces in World War II. The servant spirit in that building lives on – and I couldn’t be more grateful for what this amazing group of committed partners and volunteers produced.”
SolarMax Executive Vice-President Ching Liu agreed, adding “We were thrilled to partner with CSUSB and the many organizations and people who share our commitment to educating tomorrow’s leaders. When kids open books, they open their minds to new ways of seeing the world around them. They are empowered.”
Individuals interested in learning more about the program or participating in future efforts can go to the CSUSB College of EducationFacebook page. Or, visit the school’s website at coe.csusb.edu.
About SolarMax Technology, Inc.
Founded in 2008, SolarMax Technology specializes in residential solar systems. The Riverside, California-based company continues to be one of the fastest growing companies in its space, having installed more than 4,800 systems since inception. It employs a workforce of 164 professionals across its Southern California base of operations, which also includes offices in Diamond Bar, Temecula, and San Diego.
