PRA Group Black Excellence ERG’s Book Drive Collects Over 100 Books for WHRO
Literacy is the foundation for writing, communicating, learning, and simply navigating everyday life. Reading to your children opens an entire world of possibilities. Research by the Child Mind Institute found that young children whose parents read to them daily have been exposed to at least 290,000 more words by the time they enter kindergarten than children who are not read to regularly. Getting a head start on building a child’s vocabulary is vital, as researchers have found that students who do not read fluently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of or not finish high school on time.
PRA Group’s Black Excellence Employee Resource Group took on this cause in January when they began a book drive in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Today, to mark the first day of Black History Month, the ERG presented more than 100 books to WHRO Public Media’s PBS Kids Raising Readers Literacy Vans.
WHRO is a nonprofit public media station serving the Coastal Virginia area surrounding PRA Group’s global corporate headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. PRA Group is a long-time sponsor of its Literacy Vans. The brightly colored vans decorated with PBS Kids characters travel across the region visiting groups of children, where WHRO Early Childhood Coordinator Martha Razor reads age-friendly books and leads lessons to improve reading skills. “Out of all the activities I participate in at WHRO, this is my passion, said Razor. “If I can just touch one child and tell them ‘It’s okay that you’re not a great reader, but if you practice, you can be.’”
Since the start of the 2022-23 school year, the Literacy Vans have made 160 stops and donated nearly 20,000 age-appropriate books. The impact of these visits can be hugely beneficial to students, teachers, and parents alike. Razor recalled one teacher at a recent site visit thanking her for giving her students books, as many of them didn’t have any with which they could practice reading at home.
Learn more about PRA Group’s employee resource groups and the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion: https://www.pragroup.com/social-responsibility/
About PRA Group
As a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans, PRA Group, Inc. returns capital to banks and other creditors to help expand financial services for consumers in the Americas, Europe and Australia. With thousands of employees worldwide, PRA Group companies collaborate with customers to help them resolve their debt. For more information, please visit www.pragroup.com.
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Kersey
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Policy
(757) 641-0558
Elizabeth.Kersey@PRAGroup.com
Investor Contact:
Najim Mostamand, CFA
Vice President, Investor Relations
(757) 431-7913
IR@PRAGroup.com