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    "title": "B. Dalton Literacy Project",
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    "ocrText": "Ronald Reagan Presidential Library\nDigital Library Collections\nThis is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.\nCollection: Roberts, John G.: Files\nFolder Title: B. Dalton Literacy Project\nBox: 5\nTo see more digitized collections visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library\nTo see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:\nhttps://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection\nContact a reference archivist at: [email protected]\nCitation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing\nNational Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/\nwe\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\n+ 6 we do\nAugust 18, 1983\nSCHEDULE PROPOSAL\nHome Pron\nTO:\nFred Ryan, Director\nPresidential Appointments and Scheduling\nFROM:\nJames K. Coyne, Special Assistant to the\nPresident, Private Sector Initiatives\nw/ceo call his to\nREQUEST:\nPhoto opportunity\nPURPOSE:\nTo recognize B. Dalton's National Literacy\ndiscuss discryon\nInitiative.\nBACKGROUND:\nIn 1978, B. Dalton began funding literacy\n8/20\nprograms within the community. Since then,\nB. Dalton has become a founding member of\nCoalition for Literacy, which is a national\nawareness campaign. To date, B. Dalton has\nfunded more than 100 community-based volunteer\nprograms. At this event, B. Dalton will\nannounce an additional $3 million commitment\nto the National Literacy Initiative which will\nenable another 100,000 students to be tutored.\nB. Dalton is willing to give this maximum\npublicity and produce a poster with the\nPresident and a student and tutor for distribution\nto schools, libraries and the 700 B. Dalton\nstores nationwide.\nAs you know, Mrs. Bush has been quite active\nin the area of adult literacy. We recommend\nthat you include Mrs. Bush in whatever way\nis appropriate.\nPREVIOUS\nNone\nPARTICIPATION:\nDATE:\nAugust 23-Seattle\nAugust 25-San Diego\nOpen, before September 7 - any major city in the U.S.\nDURATION:\n10 minutes\nLOCATION:\nOpen\nPARTICIPANTS:\nSherman Swenson, Chairman, B. Dalton Bookseller\nNational Literacy groups\nTutors and students of literacy programs\nREMARKS REQUIRED: Brief remarks\nMEDIA COVERAGE:\nOpen press.\n2\nOUTLINE OF\nPresident greets guests\nEVENTS:\nSherman Swenson tells President of\nB. Dalton's private sector initiative\nPresident congratulates B. Dalton and\nposes for picture\nRECOMMENDED BY: Jim Coyne\nPROJECT OFFICER: Jim Coyne\nAttachments\nDescription of program and accompanying letter\nB. DALTON NATIONAL\nLITERACY INITIATIVE\nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY\nTHE CHALLENGE\nBasic, functional illiteracy is at epidemic proportions in the U.S. The social\ncost is enormous, in dollars, human suffering, social disorder and lost\nproductivity. The U.S. Department of Education estimates conservatively that\n26 million American adults are functionally illiterate and other estimates range as\nhigh as 60 million people. Beyond the personal tragedy, it is estimated that\nilliteracy costs the nation $225 billion each year. With as much as 25 percent of\nthe population functionally illiterate, the time to act is now.\nTHE RESPONSE: A NATIONAL LITERACY INITIATIVE\nIn 1978, B. Dalton, began funding literacy programs within our communities. In\n1981, along with the American Library Association and other groups, we became a\nfounding member of Coalition for Literacy. The Coalition was established to\nlaunch a national awareness campaign. In 1982, B. Dalton and ACTION began a\nvolunteer management training program through a public/private partnership. Since\n1978, B. Dalton has funded community-based volunteer programs that support the\ntraining of tutors and the tutoring of illiterate adults. To date, B. Dalton has\nfunded more than 100 community-based volunteer programs. The additional\n$3 million commitment to the National Literacy Initiative will enable another\nestimated 100,000 adults to be tutored. The announcement of this major private\nsector initiative will be made in San Francisco during the week of September 5,\n1983.\nADULT PROGRAM GOALS\nEnglish-speaking adult Americans who cannot read are the primary target of\nB. Dalton's efforts. Of the 100,000 adults the corporate-sponsored initiative\nwill reach, it is desired that a minimum of 70,000 achieve their literacy goals.\nB. Dalton will fund community-based volunteer literacy programs throughout the\ncountry. By 1986, company efforts will have trained 50,000 new literacy\nvolunteers.\nHOW THE PROGRAM WORKS\nB. Dalton's National Literacy Initiative finances tutoring strategies which are\ncommunity-based, volunteer run, privately funded, and easily managed. Volunteers\nprovide one-on-one tutoring for illiterate adults. Dramatic gains can be seen\nwithin the first few months of such a tutoring program. Tutoring can be conducted\nin a volunteer's home, a community setting, etc. No special facilities are\nrequired.\nPRESIDENTIAL INVOLVEMENT\nPresident Reagan is requested to be the primary speaker at a news conference,\ntentatively planned for the Kearny Street B. Dalton location in downtown\nSan Francisco. The President's appearance is requested for a maximum of\n20 minutes. He would introduce the program, dramatize the need for a national\nliteracy effort, and call for further public/private sector partnerships.\nMrs. Barbara Bush would also be asked to be present. Also present would be\nMr. Sherman Swenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of B. Dalton\nBookseller. A volunteer tutor and pupil would also be in attendance. Photographs\nwould be taken of the President, Mrs. Bush, the tutor, and pupil for a poster\nwhich B. Dalton would produce and distribute.\nPROGRAM EXTENSION\nTo ensure maximum exposure, B. Dalton will produce a poster depicting the\nPresident, Mrs. Bush, and a student and tutor for distribution to select schools,\npublic libraries, and 700 B. Dalton stores nationwide. In addition, B. Dalton\nwill publish a letter from the President and Mrs. Bush, appealing for literacy\nvolunteers. The letter will appear in B. Dalton's winter children's and holiday\nbook catalogs, which will be seen by more than 20 million people. The holiday\nbook catalog will also appear in the November 21 issue of People magazine. The\nPresident may also wish to personally address a letter of recognition to the\nthousands of literacy tutors working through the more than 100 literacy programs\npresently funded by B. Dalton.\nSCHEDULING ALTERNATIVES\nWe have suggested the San Francisco B. Dalton store as the primary site for this\nannouncement. Everything possible will be done to accommodate White House\nrequirements for both location and date. The announcement news conference can\nalso be held at another San Francisco site or a community services location-such\nas the main San Francisco public library. B. Dalton is also flexible in regard to\nthe choice of city. Other potential cities where the announcement could be made\ninclude Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, or\nWashington, D.C. The week of September 5 is critical because it is National\nLiteracy Week. Choice of time is also flexible, although we suggest early morning\nto best accommodate the news media.\nADDITIONAL PROGRAM COMPONENTS\nB. Dalton also funds a literacy program aimed at the nation's youth. B. Dalton\nBookseller, a division of Dayton Hudson Corporation, is the nation's largest\nretail bookseller with over 700 stores nationwide.\nB.Dalton\nAugust 15, 1983\nBOOKSELLER\nThe President\nThe White House\nWashington, DC 20500\nDear Mr. President:\nI am honored to invite your participation in a public\nannouncement of our additional commitment of $3\nmillion for B. Dalton's National Literacy Initiative\nduring the week of September 5 in San Francisco.\nB. Dalton first became interested in our nation's\nliteracy problem five years ago, when studies revealed\nthat somewhere between 25 and 60 million Americans--as\nmuch as 25 percent of the population-were functionally\nilliterate.\nIt is my belief that private sector initiative is our\nbest hope for reducing and ultimately eliminating\nadult illiteracy. To this end, we are members of the\nCoalition for Literacy and are working with Mrs. Barbara\nBush and Mr. James Coyne of the President's Office of\nPrivate Initiatives.\nOur financial commitment is in addition to the volunteer\nefforts of hundreds of B. Dalton employees, who act as\nreading tutors to adults seeking to acquire basic\nreading skills. We are also soliciting private sector\nsupport from other corporations to expand the scope of\nthe program.\nWe believe the goals of our National Literacy Initiative\ncan best be realized with your support. To ensure the\nwidest possible audience for our efforts, we would\nlike to produce a poster with you and Mrs. Bush for\ndistribution in our more than 700 bookstores and\nselected schools and libraries in B. Dalton's communities.\nWe would also like to publish a letter in our winter\nchildren's and holiday book catalogs from you and\nMrs. Bush, calling for a national volunteer effort.\nAs a final gesture, we would suggest that you might\nwish to send a personal letter of recognition to all\nEXECUTIVE OFFICES\nvolunteers within the more than 100 literacy projects\nONE CORPORATE CENTER\nwe directly support.\n7505 METRO BOULEVARD\nMINNEAPOLIS. MN 55435\n(612) 893-7000\nNational Literacy Initiative\nAugust 15, 1983\nPage 2\nI look forward with great anticipation to your\nparticipation in B. Dalton's National Literacy\nInitiative. I will telephone your office on\nAugust 18 to determine your interest in our\ninvitation.\nSincerely,\nSheweman\nSherman Swenson\nChairman and Chief Executive Officer\nB. Dalton Bookseller\nSS/1k\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSeptember 2, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD\nFROM:\nJOHN G. ROBERTS QS62\nSUBJECT:\nB. Dalton Literacy Project\nAfter confering with Richard A. Hauser, I\nadvised Livingston's office that we had\nno objections to the draft letter. I also\ntold Michael Castine that B. Dalton should\nbe admonished not to use the letter in a\ncommercially exploitive fashion, but only\nin connection with the literacy campaign\nitself.\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nAugust 30, 1983\nMEMORANDUM FOR PETER RUSTHOVEN\nSUBJECT:\nB. Dalton Literacy Project\nOn Tuesday, September 6, the President will participate\nin a photo opportunity with the organizers of B. Dalton\nBooksellers' Literacy Project. Attached you will find a\nrequest for a Presidential message to be used in B. Datlon's\ncatalog that will be sent to the general public.\nIn light of the fact that they have been informed that\nthe President will not provide any quotes during the photo\nsession and considering the commercial implications of a\nPresidential message in this very competitive industry, I\nwould appreciate your review and return to me by close of\nbusiness tomorrow.\nMany thanks.\nIn for DODIE Sodie LIVINGSTON Livengston\n480-OEOB/Ext. 2941\nAtt.\nB.Dalton\nAugust 27, 1983\nBOOKSELLER\nMr. Michael Castine\nOffice of Private Sector Initiatives\n132 Old Executive Office Building\n17th & Pennsylvania NW\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear Michael:\nEnclosed is a copy of the suggested letter from\nPresident Reagan concerning the national literacy\nproblem. As you will recall, if the President approves,\nwe will publish the letter in our Holiday Books\nCatalog, which will be inserted in a November People\nMagazine issue and seen by more than 20 million people.\nPlease feel free to make comments or changes on\nthe letter as you see fit.\nWith regard to the photo opportunity with the\nPresident on the afternoon of September 6:\nWe would like to have two different photos of the\nPresident taken. One would be a photo for release\nto the news media. It would feature the President\naccepting a larger-than-life symbolic check for $3\nmillion on behalf of the national literacy effort\nand the volunteers and students in the literacy programs\nnationwide. Shermah Owenson, chairman and chief executive\nofficer of B. Dalton, would present the check. Looking\non would be Sette Fenton, our national director for public\naffairs and community relations and the literacy initiative.\nThe second photo would depict the President meeting\nwith a Miteracy program student and Ms. Fenton. Ms\nPenton serves as a volunteer tutor in the literacy\neffort. This photo would be used on a poster which\nB. Calton will produce and distribute for display in\nall our stores, and public libraries in our market\ncommunities across the country. The photo will also\nbe used with the President's letter in our holiday\nbook catelog, and it would be used on counter cards\nin our stores promoting the literacy effort. Finally,\nit would be used on a brochure which will be produced\nto promote volunteerism in the literacy program.\nCORPORATE CENTER\nTRUE HITRO BOULEVARD\nMINNEAPOLIS MN 06435\n612 393-7000\nIt's important for us to know if the President\nwill issue a statement at the photo session\nendorsing the B. Dalton National Literacy Initiative\nand the overall national literacy effort. We also\nneed to know in advance if he will accept the check\non behalf of the literacy tutors and students.\nWe believe that the President is very much interested\nin promoting the cause of literacy as a national goal.\nAs a suggestion, he may wish to address the literacy\nissue in a forthcoming Saturday radio talk to the nation.\nWe would be happy to cooperate with him on this matter\nin any way.\nWe look forward to working with you.\nSincerely,\ntherman Swenson\nSherman Swenson\nChairman and Chief Executive Officer\nB. Dalton Bookseller\nBozell & Jacobs Public Relations\nB. Dalton\nPresident Reagan Letter for Holiday Catalog Per Literacy Program\nDraft Three/8/25/83\nNovember XX, 1983\nFor Approval\nWhite House\nWashington, D.C. 20500\nDear American:\nAs we enter the holiday season, I hope you will pause to consider\nthat we enjoy one of life's most important blessings: the abi-\nlity to read. I don't have to remind you how important literacy\nis to us, for our jobs, our home lives, and as a medium of\npleasure.\nUnfortunately, there are an estimated 25 million adult Americans\nwho Tack basic literacy skills, unable to meet their daily needs.\nFor many, illiteracy is a secret shame. Millions are functioning\nbelow their potential, ashamed and afraid to admit their skills\nare poor. Many more fail to qualify in the job market and edge\ninto crime or an existence on welfare.\nA. solution does exist for a better life. Through local,\nvolunteer, community-based literacy organizations throughout the\ncountry, these people can learn to read. Anyone with the abi-\nlity to read and write can become a volunteer tutor.\nIf you choose to become a tutor, you will have the opportunity to\nwork one-to-one with students striving to learn the most basic of\nskills -- how to read a street sign, fill out a form, manage a\ncheckbook, etc. For them, this is a way out of fear and\nconstant disappointment. As a volunteer tutor explained to me,\n\"Teaching an adult to read is the same as giving that person a\nnew life.\"\nI appeal to you to give serious thought to becoming a volunteer\ntutor. There is most likely a community literacy program near\nyou which can provide training, materials and support.\nIt is the responsibility of all of us to help solve this national\ncrisis. I applaud the action taken by B. Dalton Bookseller in\ncontributing an additional $3 million to its National Literacy\nInitiative. These funds will support community-based volunteer\nliteracy programs in geographic areas served by B. Dalton stores.\nMy Alministration's Office of Private Sector Initiatives and\nSecretary Terrel Bell of the U.S. Department of Education have\nworked closely with B. Dalton\nPlease join in this volunteer effort by calling the toll free\nliteracy volunteer action line, 1-800-\n-\n.\nI wasn - you and your family a happy holiday season. Thank you.\nSincerely,\nRonald Reagan\nPresident\nUnited States of America\n# # #"
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