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Macy's and RIF present 'Macy's Educator Appreciation Award' to local Ayden elementary third grade teacher

Macy's partners with Reading Is Fundamental to present 'Macy's Educator Appreciation Award' to local Ayden elementary third grade teacher, in celebration of August campaign.

Linda Bullock will be recognized for excellence in supporting student literacy >

High-res images of ceremony are available here. [These images can be credited to Rick Scuteri/AP Images for Macy's Inc.]

Ayden, North Carolina – August 24, 2021 – Throughout the month of August, Macy’s is offering customers nationwide the opportunity to round-up their in-store purchases to the nearest dollar (up to $0.99) or donate online at macys.com to benefit Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) – the nation’s preeminent nonprofit organization for children’s literacy – and help provide books and additional reading resources to children across the country.

In celebration of the campaign, Macy’s and RIF will honor Pitt County’s own Linda Bullock, a third-grade teacher at Ayden Elementary, in a virtual event with the Macy’s Educator Appreciation Award. The award recognizes stand-out educators from across the country who have shown excellence in supporting their student’s literacy and learning, and have demonstrated meaningful impact implementing RIF programmatic efforts through Macy’s past funding.

Bullock was chosen based on her ambition of reading to her students daily. Her passion for reading is shown when she takes on personalities of storybook characters like The Trunchbull from Matilda or a flea sick with a cold from The Flea’s Sneeze. Her classroom is filled with fun lighting, comfortable reading spots, plants and even tents. When her classroom library was accidentally recycled last summer, she received a donation from RIF and Macy’s of new, high-quality books to help rebuild her library collection.

In addition to the Educator Appreciation Award, Bullock will receive a $50 Macy’s gift card and an in-store styling session with Macy’s Personal Stylist, customized school supplies, a new book collection for the school’s library and 125 literacy kits (tote bag, three books, three bookplates and a bookmark) provided and assembled by local Macy’s colleagues. The kits will be distributed to Ayden Elementary Kindergarten – 3rd grade students.

“I am so proud of and excited for Mrs. Bullock who took on the challenge of being a virtual teacher all school year,” said Amy Hilliard, the Principal at Ayden Elementary. “Mrs. Bullock was able to develop creative lessons to engage learners and ensure growth in student literacy skills. This award from Macy's and Reading Is Fundamental will allow her to access additional resources to continue to engage her students.”

Giving back is a core pillar of Macy’s values and the 18-year partnership with RIF has resulted in a total contribution of more than $43 million toward children’s literacy and the distribution of more than 14 million books, and 10,000 supplemental literacy resources and tools. To learn more, please visit macys.com/macysgives.

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About Macy's:
For more than 160 years, Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc., has served generations at every stage of their lives. Through a digitally led shopping experience powered by macys.com, our award-winning mobile app, and a nationwide portfolio of stores, Macy’s customers come to us for fashion, value and high-quality products. We are proud of our heritage and the unique role we play in American culture and tradition. We celebrate occasions big and small, and have created decades of memorable experiences through Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks® and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows, and celebrity appearances. With the collective support of our customers and colleagues, Macy’s helps make a difference in every market we serve, supporting local and national charities through funding and volunteer service. With fashion, value and celebration as our guide, Macy’s makes life shine brighter for our customers, colleagues and communities. For more information, please visit macysinc.com.

About Reading Is Fundamental:
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation’s largest nonprofit organization for children’s literacy, RIF has provided more than 420 million books to over 100 million kids in all 50 states, inspiring generations to read, learn and grow. For more information, please visit RIF.org.

Contact:
Liz Stein liz@lizsteinconsulting.com or Dara Klatt at Dara@8thStPR.com