"Extreme makeover" transforms Mather Elementary School library

BOSTON – Today Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, students, families and staff from the Mather Elementary School, along with The Heart of America Foundation® and Target Volunteers gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the school’s newly renovated library.

As part of the Target Volunteers School Library Makeover program, the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester, North America’s first public elementary school, received a complete transformation this summer, including 2,000 new books, technology, paint, lighting, carpet, shelving, customized wall art and murals, as well as reading corners – all just in time for the new school year. In addition, every student walked away with seven new books to add to their own at-home reading collection.

“When organizations are able to come together like this for a great cause, it not only benefits Boston but communities across the country,” said Mayor Menino. “This partnership shows that even in a struggling economy, people can come together to provide for our children and to promote education as a principal priority for every community.”

“Community partners are vital to the continued success of all our students,” said Dr. Johnson. “This generous gift from Target and The Heart of America Foundation is an example of the great things that can happen when we all take responsibility for the education of our children. A library and books are the gifts that truly keep on giving.”

“Thanks to Target and The Heart of America Foundation, our students now have a wonderful space and the necessary tools to keep them engaged and passionate about learning,” said Emily Cox, principal of the Mather. “We’re honored to have been chosen for this amazing program. Our students are thrilled to have such a beautiful learning space, new technology and thousands of new books that they truly deserve.”

The Mather was selected among three finalists for the Boston Public Schools library makeover. The Winthrop and Marshall elementary schools, also in Dorchester, received $500 prizes as finalists.

As part of the Target Volunteers School Library Makeover program, a total of 16 schools across the country, including the Mather, were awarded a complete library makeover, featuring everything from eco-friendly design elements, such as new green certified furniture from Paragon and Smith Systems, to new resources and added technologies, including computers. The school selection criteria included the percentage of low-income children and overall need for library improvement.

“This partnership provides a wonderful opportunity for our team members in Boston to give to their community by providing volunteer time directly to a school library in their hometown,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “Because education is a top priority for our guests, programs like the Target Volunteers School Library Makeovers allow our team members to provide students the tools they need to learn, thrive and succeed.”

The school library makeover was led by local Target Volunteers who contributed their time and talent to the project. In fact, the Target Property Development team provided specialized business knowledge through a variety of unique pro bono services, which included leveraging their design, construction and project management expertise to help with the significant updates to the libraries.

In addition, this year more than 1,600 Target stores and Distribution Centers nationwide also were involved – providing a $500 book award to a local school. The volunteer initiative builds on the company’s commitment to education and volunteerism.

“Through our partnership with Target, we are able to provide schools with a top-of-the-line library equipped with the books and technology that students and teachers need to reach the highest educational standards and goals,” said Angie Halamandaris, president, The Heart of America Foundation. “Not only are we able to give children an inspiring new library with the necessary supplies, but we’re providing them with community partners and volunteers who are dedicated to helping students grow and succeed.”

In support of this effort, Target and The Heart of America Foundation teamed up with general contractor The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, 3M, GrafixShoppe, Vomela, Greenstar and TK Products. All partners helped make the project possible through donations and/or discounted pricing of services and supplies.

About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation serves guests at 1,719 stores in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

About The Heart of America Foundation
The Heart of America Foundation’s focus is to provide children everywhere in need with the tools to read, succeed and make a difference. A national nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC, its programs uniquely combine volunteerism and literacy. Since 1997, the organization has provided children living in poverty with over 1.52 million books, and has helped volunteers serve more than 1 million hours giving back to the community through these efforts.

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