PHOTO: Cops ‘n’ Kids Lehigh Valley President, Beverly Bradley, and WDIY Executive Director, Wagner Previato, at a Cops ‘n’ Kids event at Northampton Community College’s Fowler Family Southside Center in April, 2015.
(Lehigh Valley, PA) WDIY 88.1 FM, the Lehigh Valley’s community NPR station, announced today that 1,428 books will be provided to children in the Lehigh Valley through the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program as a result of the station’s recent spring membership drive.
WDIY partnered with Easton-based Weyerbacher Brewing Company who provided the resources needed for the Lehigh Valley chapter of Cops ‘n’ Kids to deliver three books to area children for every $100 the station raised during its membership drive.
Cops ‘n’ Kids Lehigh Valley President, Beverly Bradley, praised the three-way partnership as a victory for the Lehigh Valley’s youngest residents. “As an educator, I particularly love thinking that over 1,400 free books will be in the hands of children because of WDIY’s members. Encouraging reading at a young age can change the future of a child and our community.”
“When different organizations in the community come together, they can make a real positive impact,” said Dan Weirback, president and CEO of Weyerbacher Brewing Company. “Weyerbacher is proud to support WDIY and children’s literacy in the Lehigh Valley.”
“We feel very humbled that through the support of WDIY members and the Weyerbacher Brewing Company, we were able to provide so many books to children in the Lehigh Valley,” said Wagner Previato, WDIY Executive Director. “Our partnership with Weyerbacher allowed all donations made to WDIY during our spring drive to trigger a second donation to Cops ‘n’ Kids Lehigh Valley. This ‘double community benefit’ from a single donation really struck a chord with WDIY supporters.”
Cops ‘n’ Kids is a fast-growing, national reading initiative in which police officers positively connect with the communities they serve by delivering books to children in Grades pre-K-8. The non-profit organization promotes learning for children and families by providing meaningful literacy-based experiences while encouraging positive relationships between children, police, and the community.
WDIY is the Lehigh Valley’s community NPR station, providing the Lehigh Valley with NPR news, a wide diversity of music and locally-produced public affairs programs. The station is heard on WDIY 88.1 FM Allentown/Bethlehem, 93.7 FM Fogelsville/Trexlertown, 93.9 FM Easton/Phillipsburg, and at http://wdiy.org.
