A Donation for Literacy and Creative Thinking

Since 2014, 800-CEO-READ has been the order and distribution partner for both the J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List and the company’s Holiday Reading List. The reading lists are annual traditions at the firm that celebrate some of the finest non-fiction titles that have been released throughout the year. Books that are chosen for the lists are then gifted to J.P. Morgan clients.

This past fall, during one of our weekly check-in conference calls with the lovely folks that administer and run the reading list programs, the idea was introduced of donating a portion of the sales to charities that align with the program’s mission. The idea quickly became a reality and we collectively decided that half the proceeds would go to a Milwaukee-based organization, the other half donated to a Manhattan-based charity—locales chosen to represent our company’s respective hometowns.

Today we are very happy to report that 800-CEO-READ and J.P. Morgan have donated $20,000.00 each to Literacy Services of Wisconsin and Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, following the culmination of the 2015 J.P. Morgan Holiday Reading List.

Literacy Services of Wisconsin (LSW) was selected by 800-CEO-READ. LSW is a premier provider of adult education services, continuously offering high-quality literacy programming to motivated adult learners in the Milwaukee area since 1965.

Graduates of LSW’s GED® Preparation program.

In accepting the donation, LSW Executive Director Ginger Duiven said, “We are so honored to be the recipient of this support from 800-CEO-READ and J.P. Morgan. This important investment will provide under-prepared adults in our community access to the volunteer tutoring programs and support they need to reach for their goals and improve their lives through education.”

A short time ago, a handful of us at 800-CEO-READ had the opportunity to take a tour of Literacy Services of Wisconsin’s downtown offices. From Executive Director Duiven’s thorough explanation of the work her organization does to the tour of their work in action—dozens of adults working one-on-one with their volunteer tutors—the sheer weight of LSW’s value to our community was deeply felt.

At 800-CEO-READ, we strive to help people improve their work and non-work lives through books. This mission takes for granted that adults in the workplace have the ability to read the books we review and sell. Visiting LSW further deepened our understanding that literacy is not a given for far too many adults that the system, multiple systems, have failed. We encourage you to visit Literacy Services of Wisconsin. Or, short of that, financial resources have a direct impact on adults looking to improve their lives through reading. Consider a donation today.

Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) was selected by Manhattan-based J.P. Morgan. NoMAA is a nonprofit arts service organization that cultivates, supports, and promotes the works of artists and arts organizations in Northern Manhattan.

“The J.P. Morgan Holiday Reading List aims to spark creative ideas and thinking, so we are thrilled to support organizations that share our vision,” said Darin Oduyoye, Chief Communications Officer for J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

We make two business trips to New York every year to meet with the major publishing houses. The next time we head east we will no doubt visit NoMAA. They do incredible and impactful work, and like our experience with LSW, we’re certain that witnessing their efforts first hand will further strengthen our appreciation for what they do each day. Check them out for yourself.