Visa's "Read Me a Story" campaign, a national program designed to help address America's reading crisis and help children learn to read, has named the cast of the hit CBS series, PROMISED LAND, as their National Ambassadors For Reading, 1997. The program, now in its second year, benefits Reading Is Fundamental®
(RIF®). America's oldest and largest nonprofit children's literacy organization, with a guaranteed $1 million minimum contribution, based on VisaĆ card transactions from November 1 through December 31, 1997.
PROMISED LAND's cast, wi1l make their first appearance as the newly named Ambassadors, Sunday, December 7 at the "Read Me a Story" Holiday Celebration on Rodeo Drive, in Beverly Hills, CA. They will arrive in their trademark Air Stream trailer and read about holiday traditions from across America. There will also be a lively 30-minute musical performance featuring 10 of America's favorite storybook characters.
A special PROMISED LAND episode emphasizing the need to promote better reading habits for children will air Thursday, December 1 at 8:00PM, on CBS. A special public service announcement will air at the end of the episode supporting the campaign and introducing the Visa Reading Checkup Guide. Developed by Reading Is Fundamental, the Guide is a tool to assist parents and caring adults in monitoring their child's reading level from birth to age 10.
PROMISED LAND, headed by Gerald McRaney, Celeste Holm, Wendy Phillips, Austin O'Brien, Sarah Schaub and Eddie Karr,portrays a family, who after an encounter with an angel, has been inspired to set out on a cross-country adventure with the children being schooled by their teacher/mother. "PROMISED LAND is a wonderful and appropriate partner in our efforts to increase awareness of the importance of reading," says Bob Pifke, senior vice president1 marketing services for Visa, USA "As a family on the road in America helping people in heed and particularly this episode which epitomizes the importance of encouraging reading to children or all ages."
As Gerald McRaney said, "The importance of reading cannot be stressed too strongly for the benefit of our children and the future of our country. My cast members and I are happy to be associated with a campaign that takes this commitment seriously enough to mount this incredible campaign."
The Rodeo Drive event is one of the many ways that Visa is raising awareness for the campaign throughout the holidays. In addition to a national advertising campaign, there will be three Visa "Read Me a Story" Performance Tours simultaneously to three areas of the country and 62 cities where ten of America's storybook characters will perform a lively 30-minute original musical performance for thousands of America's children. For more information on the tour, call 1-888-703-READ.
