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Battle of the Books sponsored by SC Johnson

SC Johnson Champions Literacy with its Sponsorship of Battle of the Books in Racine

SC Johnson Donates More than 8,000 Books to Area Schools

RACINE, Wis., Nov. 14, 2018 – Kicking off the 2018 Battle of the Books reading program, today SC Johnson donated more than 8,000 books to fourth and fifth grade classrooms in the Racine area. For nearly a decade, the company has sponsored the Racine Public Library’s program. This year, SC Johnson and the library are working together to achieve a record high of 150 teams participating. Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program and trivia competition designed to help youth reach their fullest potential through the love of reading.
“Research shows that children who aren’t reading proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school1,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability. “The Racine Public Library’s Battle of the Books program builds excitement about reading for young students, helping to improve literacy and setting a foundation for future success.”

The Racine Public Library’s Battle of the Books program is for area fourth and fifth grade students. Teams comprised of two to four students are asked to read and become knowledgeable about the content from the year’s reading list. Meets are held in a public forum where teams are asked trivia questions about the books they read. Points are accumulated based on the number of correct answers and the team with the highest score wins. This year’s meet will take place in early March. Interested students can register for this year’s program through their schools or online through the Racine Public Library.
  
“Through the years, SC Johnson has given nearly $400,000 to support the Battle of the Books program, inspiring hundreds of students in their love of reading,” said Jessica MacPhail, Library Director at the Racine Public Library. “We’re confident that this year’s partnership will attract more students than ever before.”  

To build excitement, a few classrooms were surprised by SC Johnson’s iconic brand mascots, including Scrubbing Bubbles® Scrubby and the Raid® bugs, who delivered boxes containing all 40 books from this year’s Battle of the Books reading list, as well as copies of the New York Times bestselling book, “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. 
 
Believing that literacy is a key step to future success, SC Johnson has long been a proponent of literacy programs in the Racine community. Past programs include Racine Reads, the Racine Public Library Bookmobile and English Fest. Earlier this year, the company provided more than 9,000 copies of the New York Times bestselling book, “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio to Racine-area students, and a curriculum was shared with teachers to promote discussion and hands-on learning in the classroom.

SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE® and RIDSECT®. The 132-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

 1. https://www.aecf.org/blog/poverty-puts-struggling-readers-in-double-jeopardy-minorities-most-at-risk/