United Through Reading Selected to Receive $10,000 Grant from Newly Established USS Midway Foundation
November 9, 2016
November 8, 2016 (San Diego, Calif) — United Through Reading was recently selected to receive a $10,000 grant from the USS Midway Foundation to continue to enable active-duty personnel stationed overseas to read books to family members at home. The USS Midway Foundation, formed to support the Midway Museum’s vision of becoming America’s living symbol of freedom, focuses on organizations that serve those who have historically protected and currently protect America’s freedoms.
The USS Midway Museum in San Diego Bay. (Photo Source: Scott Allison, San Diego Union-Tribune)
“These grants symbolize the progression of the USS Midway’s presence in the San Diego community and they celebrate the great work that is being done here to support veterans, active-duty military, and law enforcement,” said Sally Ann Zoll, Ed.D., CEO of United Through Reading. “United Through Reading is honored and humbled to be among the first grant recipients, and we’re grateful for the ways this generosity will allow us to continue to support military families who face separation due to deployment, training, or active duty assignments.”
Twelve years ago, the USS Midway began its final “deployment” as a museum. Today, it’s the sixth most popular museum of any type in America, according to Tripadvisor. That success spawned the USS Midway Foundation. While the Midway foundation was officially established in 2006, it was dormant until 2013 as the budding museum focused on building its operations and financial stability, according to the Foundation’s spokesman Scott McGaugh.
“Freedom isn’t free, and the Midway Foundation is here to help ensure that those who protect our liberties receive the support they need,” said Malin Burnham, Midway Foundation Board Chairman. “This is a highly impactful way that the Midway Museum, as a non-profit, can give back to the community,” added Daniel Beintema, Midway Foundation President.
About United Through Reading
United Through Reading is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) public benefit organization that has served military families for more than 27 years; its mission is to unite military families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. United Through Reading offers service members the opportunity to be video-recorded reading storybooks to children at home which eases the stress of separation, maintains positive emotional connections, and cultivates a love of reading and early childhood literacy. At more than 200 recording locations worldwide, service members can read to the children who are special to them on military bases and outposts, deployed U.S. Navy ships, U.S. Coast Guard cutters and at select USOs. Since its inception, nearly 2 million military parents, spouses, and children have benefited from the program. For more information, visit unitedthroughreading.org and follow us on Twitter @UTR4Military and Facebook at facebook.com/unitedthroughreading.