Students at Encanto Elementary Experience 'Extreme Library Makeover'

Students at Encanto Elementary Experience 'Extreme Library Makeover'

San Diego Students, Joined by Actor Ben Stein and Superintendent Leslie Fausset, Celebrate a New, Dramatically Improved Library Filled With $25,000 Worth of Books and Technology Donated by Town & Country Credit

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The first full week of classes at San Diego's Encanto Elementary was kicked off with cheers of excitement this morning, as students got their first glimpse of their recently-built library, filled with $25,000 worth of new books and technology equipment. The reason for their surprise is understandable; prior to this fall, Encanto's "library" was a small, cramped classroom with not nearly enough books per student. Today, students saw a gleaming new library filled with nearly 3,500 brand new books, computer software, a new laptop computer and a new video projector. These items resulted from a $25,000 donation from local mortgage company Town & Country Credit (TCC), as part of their "Smart Money for Education" philanthropic program. The library structure itself was built over the summer months from Proposition MM funds.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050912/SFM140-ahttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050912/SFM140-b )

"TCC developed the 'Smart Money for Education' initiative because we believe it's important to support the communities where our customers live and work," explained Dan Upton, Town & Country Credit's president and chief operating officer. "In developing the initiative, we consulted a panel of San Diego principals and assistant principals to help us identify the greatest need at their schools. The overwhelming response was libraries -- and books, in particular, were the areas that needed the most help. Then we asked the San Diego Unified School District to help us identify the right school. We selected Encanto as the recipient of the $25,000 library makeover because we were impressed with the tremendous turnaround that Principal Madden is leading and we wanted to be a part of the school's success."

The unveiling ceremony was attended by students, teachers, Principal Jean Madden, interim Superintendent Leslie Fausset, and Town & Country Credit COO Dan Upton. There was even a visit from celebrity actor and writer Ben Stein ("Win Ben Stein's Money" and Ferris Bueller's Day Off), who serves as TCC's spokesperson. All four spoke to the crowd about the new library and Stein even had a "storytime" with the students in their new library.

Fausset spoke to students and teachers about the importance of private companies partnering with schools to help offset the constant budget shortfalls. "It's wonderful when companies like Town & Country Credit donate funds to help our schools meet their budgets that are increasingly strained. This donation will allow our students access to books and technology that they otherwise would not have," she notes. "The donation is worth so much more than just the $25,000 dollar figure, as the books and equipment will be enriching Encanto's students' lives for years to come."

"This contribution is a huge win for our students," agrees Jean Madden, Encanto Elementary's principal. "Town & Country Credit's generous contribution has provided them with one of the most critical learning tools that they need -- books. Nationally, school libraries average 22 books per student. Last year, Encanto's ratio was twelve books for every student. The addition of nearly 3,500 new books will help increase that ratio dramatically."

Encanto's school library makeover is just one component of TCC's educational outreach program, called "Smart Money for Education," which focused efforts in San Diego and Denver, two of the communities, which Town & Country serves. In addition to conducting the school library makeovers, teachers in each community were invited earlier this year to apply for monetary awards totaling more than $50,000 to purchase classroom supplies and other resources for their students. Additionally, Town & Country Credit offered a special reduced fee loan for teachers who applied for a mortgage over the summer months.

During today's unveiling, Dan Upton summed up TCC's belief in the importance of businesses helping the communities where they operate. "Town & Country Credit believes in investing in people's futures, and our $25,000 contribution towards books and technology will help Encanto's students for years to come," he notes. "There are many schools in San Diego that need this extra help. I hope this donation and the "Smart Money for Education" initiative inspires other companies in San Diego to do the same."

For more information, contact:
Noelle Novak, Town & Country Credit
Office: 213-438-8789/Cell: 323-708-2680
nnovak@golinharris.com

Steven Baratte, San Diego City Schools
Office: 619-725-5578
sbaratte@sandi.net

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050912/SFM140-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050912/SFM140-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Town & Country Credit

CONTACT: Noelle Novak, +1-213-438-8789, or mobile, +1-323-708-2680, or
nnovak@golinharris.com, for Town & Country Credit; or Steven Baratte of San
Diego City Schools, +1-619-725-5578, or sbaratte@sandi.net

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Profile: education