Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supports Underserved Communities This Holiday Season with Book Donation Valued at $1.35 Million

BOSTON – Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) is giving the gift of reading this holiday season by donating nearly 100,000 books, valued at $1.35 million, to thousands of children in underserved communities across the country. The holiday contributions reinforce HMH’s already robust book donation program which has distributed $85 million worth of books globally in 2015.

In the Company’s HQ market of Boston, HMH is collaborating closely with organizations such as the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Globe Santa, who share HMH’s commitment to helping communities in need by extending access to resources that support education and help families thrive. Almost 50,000 HMH children’s books valued at more than $530,000 will be distributed to DCF sites throughout Massachusetts, while Globe Santa will deliver holiday cheer to children in the Greater Boston area by gifting 20,000 HMH titles, including 18,000 copies of the beloved Christmas tale The Polar Express.   

“1986 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award honor book, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg perfectly captures the magic of the holiday season and the Globe Santa program," said Linda Pizzuti Henry, Boston Globe Managing Director. "Thanks to the generosity of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 18,000 children across the Commonwealth will receive a copy of this classic picture book in their Globe Santa packages this year. We couldn't ask for a more perfect partnership during the holiday season.”

In addition to DCF and Globe Santa, HMH has partnered with several other organizations to distribute an additional 12,000 books, valued at over $415,000, in Boston and beyond. The organizations and programs include:  

• The TODAY Show Annual Holiday Toy and Gift Drive: For the fifth year running, HMH has donated children’s books to the TODAY Show Annual Holiday Toy and Gift Drive, to be distributed among charities throughout the US, including Angelwish.org and Operation Homefront. Earlier today, Mary Cullinane, HMH’s Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, joined TODAY Show hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to announce the 2015 donation valued at $150,000.
• Christmas in the City: This Boston-based volunteer organization strives to ameliorate the impact of being homeless on families and children living in shelters. This holiday season HMH donated 15,000 books to the organization, to be distributed at the annual Christmas in the City holiday party at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Sunday, Dec. 20. Over 3,000 children and parents from homeless shelters in and around Boston will enjoy a banquet, live entertainment and kid-friendly games, in addition to receiving a personalized gift from Santa.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston: Throughout 2015, HMH and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston have developed a strong partnership rooted in a shared commitment to quality learning experiences.  This December, HMH donated 1,100 children’s books, which included 500 copies of The Polar Express. The books will be distributed to the Jordan Club in Chelsea, Yawkey Club in Roxbury and Hennigan Club in Jamaica Plain.  
• Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO): HMH is the lead sponsor for the BSO’s Company Christmas at Pops Children’s Program, which offers 200 children from Boston children’s services organizations the opportunity to attend a Holiday Pops concert as special guests of the corporate community each year. HMH donated 200 copies of Merry Christmas, Strega Nona, which were given to the young attendees at a pre-concert dinner featuring special guests Santa Claus, Curious George and Martha, of the popular book and TV series Martha Speaks.

“At HMH, we are committed to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners,” said Mary Cullinane. “Every page a child turns provides them with the opportunity to explore new worlds and engage their imaginations in ways they never knew possible. Our donation program strives to get more books into the hands of young readers and helps to close the literacy gap which is a barrier to future success.”

Global book donations are just one part of HMH’s corporate social responsibility program, which is dedicated to improving PreK-12 student outcomes in under-resourced communities.  Additional initiatives include strategic partnerships with mission-aligned foundations and organizations, as well as HMH’s Community Investment Councils – local employee committees charged with creating opportunities for volunteerism and impact in the community.

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company dedicated to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12 education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and effective educational content and experiences from early childhood to beyond the classroom. HMH serves more than 50 million students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.

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