United Through Reading Receives $320,000 From USAA To Assist Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic
August 20, 2020
SAN DIEGO, CA – Today as part of a historic commitment by USAA’s Military Family Relief Initiative, United Through Reading will receive $320,000 to assist military and families during these challenging economic times. The donation will allow the organization to further their work connecting military families through the power of shared storytime, no matter the distance.
“USAA has gone above and beyond to ensure that military and veteran families remain connected through storytime,” United Through Reading CEO Dr. Sally Ann Zoll said. “We are incredibly grateful to USAA for their generous support, particularly during this challenging time as families face extended periods apart due to quarantine, stop movement orders, and National Guard activations.” USAA has supported United Through Reading for 20 years, including $500,000 in grants in 2020 alone.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and negative financial impact on military members and their families. According to research from the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative, 25 percent of active military families have been separated from their servicemember due to deployment or pandemic-supporting activations. Thirty percent of military spouses are expected to experience unemployment, nearly four times the level of their civilian peers.
“For nearly a century, USAA’s mission has been to help our members be financially secure and to support them no matter what they face,” USAA President and CEO Wayne Peacock said. “Providing this contribution to organizations such as United Through Reading that share our mission to care for military families does double duty. It helps meet the needs of today’s military families and veterans. And it gives these organizations momentum to keep serving as a lifeline for the military community.”
For more information about United Through Reading’s work supporting veterans’ and military families’ love of reading, visit unitedthroughreading.org.
For more information about USAA COVID-19 relief efforts, including more than $30 million in donations to organizations serving military and veteran families, visit usaa.com/coronavirus.
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United Through Reading
United Through Reading keeps military families reading together, no matter the distance between them. Families stay connected through video recordings of storytime and books, sent to military families to help ease the stress of separation, maintain positive emotional connections, and cultivate a love of reading and early childhood literacy. Service members can record a story for their family at more than 200 United Through Reading recording locations worldwide, as well as on their mobile device with our free and secure reading App. Since 1989, more than 2.4 million military members and their families have benefited from the program. Learn more at unitedthroughreading.org.
USAA
Founded in 1922 by a group of military officers, USAA is among the leading providers of insurance, banking and investment and retirement solutions to nearly 13 million members of the U.S. military, veterans who have honorably served and their families. Headquartered in San Antonio, Tex., USAA has offices in seven U.S. cities and three overseas locations and employs more than 35,000 people worldwide. Each year, the company contributes to national and local nonprofits in support of military families and communities where employees live and work. For more information about USAA, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.
