Latinos in Social Media [LATISM] Announces The First Ever Virtual Holiday Book Drive

Dec. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Latinos in Social Media [LATISM] (http://latism.org) announces its first annual Virtual Book Drive as a way for members and supporters to unite nationally and work toward a common goal to give US Latinos, and Latino children in particular, access to books.

From December 20 to December 31st, 2010, Latinos in Social Media ask you to nominate your favorite library via Twtpoll. We hope to reach our national goal of at least 500 books for a library our members choose.

Why does Latino literacy matter?  Illiteracy is linked to nearly every major socioeconomic crisis today.  Children who cannot read are statistically more likely as adults to suffer poor health, struggle in the job market, rely on government assistance, and find themselves in the criminal justice system.

With 1 out of 5 children in the country being Latinos and Latino educational levels reaching the point of a national crisis, it is imperative that we do something to promote reading and support the faltering library system. Our future as a culture and as a nation depends on it.
Education, and reading as an integral part of it, is the biggest challenge our community faces right now. We are making a call for our members to uphold our ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service and make a difference today.

Please nominate your favorite library by visiting http://latism.org/announcement-latism-adopts-a-library/ and tell us why it should win. The library with the most votes will get ALL books collected during our drive.

Donations are made possible via the generosity of our partnering sponsors, publishers and authors, including  Grupo Nelson, Raul Ramos y Sanchez, Gina Ruiz, Julio Varela and many more. This list is growing by the minute and will be updated as it does. If you’re an author or publisher and would like to participate or donate books, please contact us at : elianne@latism.org.

The winning library will be announced during our LATISM Twitter party on January 6th, 2011 [Three Kings Day]. After the announcement, we will publish the address to the winning library for those who’d like to donate books directly.

LATISM thanks you in advance for your help with this worthwhile community project. Working together, we can give hope to thousands of deserving local children, simply by giving them a chance – a chance to read and succeed.

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About Latinos in Social Media (LATISM)
Founded in 2009, Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) is a 501(c) 4 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community by providing capacity-building training, information, resources and networking opportunities. LATISM also researches and analyzes Latino use of online social networks to inform decision-making by businesses, nonprofits, policymakers and others seeking to reach or mobilize Latinos. For more information, go to http://latism.org.