—Donate $3 for RIF, Get a $10 off a Purchase of $50 or More—

WASHINGTON – August 7, 2007 – As students prepare to head back to school this fall, Macy's and Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) are joining forces to create "Be One for the Books!," which provides new books and literacy resources to underserved children throughout the nation. Last year’s Macy's program raised $1.2 million for the nation’s oldest and largest children’s literacy non-profit organization.

Macy's customers will be able to make a $3 donation to RIF in any Macy's Kids Department, or at Macy's registers throughout most stores. RIF will use $1 of the donation to support local RIF programs; $1 to fund the RIF Multicultural Literacy Campaign, which provides book collections to schools and promotes early childhood literacy; and $1 will go to support reading resources for children nationwide.

"Macy's and its customers are helping put new books into the hands of thousands of young children," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF.  "We know from research that the more books children have at home, the more often they read and the better they do in school."

As a show of appreciation for their support of this program, Macy's will provide each customer who makes a donation with a savings pass for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more (see back of Macy’s RIF "Be One For The Books!" savings pass for purchase exclusions). The promotion start and finish dates vary by region with saving passes redeemable in most departments within the store. A complete listing of Macy locations and RIF promotion dates is available at www.beoneforthebooks.org.

Below is a listing of some of the Macy’s-RIF promotion dates in America’s largest cities:

Atlanta: July 21-August 13, 2007

Baltimore: August 3-September 8, 2007

Boston: August 3-September 8, 2007

Cleveland: August 2-September 3, 2007

Dallas: July 21-August 13, 2007

Denver: August 6-September 12, 2007

Houston: July 21-August 13, 2007

Los Angeles: August 6-September 12, 2007

Las Vegas: August 6-September 12, 2007

Miami: August 2-August 19, 2007

New York: August 3-September 8, 2007

Philadelphia: August 3-September 8, 2007

Phoenix: August 6-September 12, 2007

San Diego: August 6-September 12, 2007

San Francisco: August 6-September 12, 2007

Seattle: August 6-September 3, 2007

Washington, D.C.: August 3-September 8, 2007

Last year, nearly 500,000 Macy's customers donated more than $1.2 million to support RIF programs during Macy's "Back to Books" fundraising campaign, which ran from July through September 2006. This was the largest customer-supported donation in RIF’s 40-year history. 

"Thanks to the generosity of Macy's customers, we can support RIF's multicultural literacy campaign and its important mission to help all children excel in reading," said Bill Hawthorne, vice president, diversity strategies and legal affairs for Macy’s. "This year, we hope for even greater success."

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Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF’s website at www.rif.org.

Discover the Joy!

About Macy's
Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.  Offering distinctive assortments including exclusive fashion and home brands, Macy's stores are operated by seven regionally based retail divisions – Macy's East, Macy's Florida, Macy's Midwest, Macy's North, Macy's Northwest, Macy's South, and Macy's West – and an online store at macys.com.

 
For more information, contact:
Layla Wright-Contreras,
Media Relations Manager
202-536-3528
lwright@rif.org