TD donates $60,000 to Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec to launch TD Story Hour

MONTREAL, Jan. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - The TD National Reading Summit II kicked off this morning at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal. The two day event unites industry leaders to explore opportunities to promote reading in Canada.  In addition to contributing $75,000 as presenting partner of the TD National Reading Summit II, Paul Lelièvre, Vice President, Metro District West, Quebec Region, TD Canada Trust, also announced a partnership with Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) to launch TD Story Hour. TD will donate $60,000 to introduce TD Story Hour, a program designed to introduce young new Canadians to reading.

"Supporting education and literacy programs is something we are passionate about at TD," says Paul Lelièvre. "The ability to read is often taken for granted and studies show the impact of improved literacy on society. We are pleased to support the TD National Reading Summit and TD Story Hour TD as part of our commitment to reading and improving literacy rates."

TD supports many education and literacy programs, scholarships and literature awards to encourage reading and the distribution of books to children. TD is also the founding sponsor of the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards, TD Summer Reading Club and the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, which distributes children's book to 500,000 students across the country every year.

TD National Reading Summit II: Toward a Nation of Readers

The TD National Reading Summit II, held on January 20 and 21, 2011, brings together writers, librarians, academics and business executives interested in establishing a national reading campaign to promote reading in Canada. During the Summit, speakers from across the country will share their research and experience on the development of reading programs.

"We are thrilled that TD Bank Group has agreed to fund the TD National Reading Summit," says Patricia Aldana, Co-Chair of the National Reading Campaign. "Building a project with TD as a partner who understands the importance of reading and shares our values is a wonderful asset for our event."

Craig Alexander, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist of the TD Bank Group is one of the speakers at the Summit and will address the importance of literacy in supporting a prosperous economy.

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec launches TD Story Hour

TD Story Hour will offer young newcomers story readings in French, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Chinese and Romanian. These languages are represented in the multilingual collection of the BAnQ children's section: Espace Jeunes de la Grande Bibliothèque. TD Story Hour will be presented in Spanish every Thursday in February and in Haitian Creole, every Thursday in April. While the children are introduced to the wonderful world of reading, their parents will have an opportunity to interact with program facilitators to learn more about Quebec. "The Bank's collaboration in TD Story Hour contributes to accomplishing our mission of welcoming newcomers and allows us to introduce reading to new audiences," said Guy Berthiaume, President and CEO of BAnQ. TD Story Hour is for newcomers to Quebec, both parents and children 3 to 5 years of age. The schedule is available online at www.banq.qc.ca

TD Community Giving

TD invests in communities to make a positive impact where it does business and where our customers, clients and employees live and work. In 2010, TD donated over $50 million to support community organizations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In Canada, we focus on Education and Financial Literacy, Creating Opportunities for Young People, and the Environment. For more information, visit www.td.com/corporateresponsibility.