The International Paper Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to the Craven County Partners In Education to fund the International Paper Literacy Grant available to all Craven County schools. This grant is just one example of International Paper’s commitment to the company’s signature causes, which include education, hunger, health and wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve our planet. The company is committed to addressing critical community needs where our employees live and work.
The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of our students is to increase their access to print. Daniel Rhyne, President of Partners In Education, explains, “The two objectives of the grant are: 1) Improve student achievement in literacy skills and build a strong foundation in concepts such as phonemic awareness. 2) Improve student achievement in accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Through this grant, PIE will offer one grant to Craven County Schools principals, at $5,000.”
The goal of this grant is to enable students to improve their reading skills to the point where they can succeed in school and develop the comprehension skills that will give them the foundation for career success, post-secondary education, and life skills. Studies have shown that poor readers who are reading at a grade level or more behind, are more likely to be disruptive in the classroom, truant from school, and at risk of dropping out of school. It is an essential prerequisite for life and academic success that as learners, students must be given multiple opportunities to read text, discuss text, and write about text that challenges their skills.
“At International Paper, we believe our company cannot succeed if our communities do not succeed,” said Catherine Burgess, communications coordinator, New Bern Mill. “We are proud to support Craven County Partners In Education as they make a positive impact on education and literacy awareness within the Craven County school system.”
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About Craven County Partners In Education
Partners In Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County Schools system.
Since 1989, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence. For more information about Partners In Education, visit CravenPartners.com.
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. We produce packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. and employ approximately 38,000 colleagues. Net sales for 2020 were $21 billion*. In Russia, the Company has a 50/50 joint venture, Ilim Group, the country’s largest integrated manufacturer of pulp and paper and its largest foreign-domestic alliance in the forestry products sector. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit InternationalPaper.com.
*Inclusive of our former pulp and paper mill in Kwidzyn, Poland, which was sold on August 6, 2021, and our former global papers business, which became a standalone, publicly traded company on October 1, 2021.
By Darlene Brown, Executive Director, Craven County Partners in Education