Nurtured Pets joins with 2nd & 7 Foundation to Tackle Illiteracy

May. 27, 2009

Eighty-eight percent of children who have difficulty reading at the end of 1st grade experience similar difficulties at the end of 4th grade. To help improve this, Lauren International Inc., parent company of Nurtured Pets, has partnered with the 2nd & 7 Foundation to help instill the joy of reading in children.

Nurtured Pets is dedicated to creating innovative products that promote the health and wellness of pets.

“The 2nd & 7 Foundation has a long-standing commitment to its surrounding communities throughout Ohio,” said Josh Weirich, marketing specialist for Lauren. “We have that same commitment as an organization. We are happy to add New Philadelphia and Tuscarawas County to the growing list of areas where 2nd & 7 can reach out and promote literacy.”

The nonprofit foundation based at Columbus promotes literacy throughout the region by reading to 2nd-graders. When they learned that 43 percent of people with the lowest literacy skills are living in poverty, three former Ohio State University football players, who shared a passion for helping others, started the organization to “tackle illiteracy.”

Partnership with the foundation allows Nurtured Pet’s staff the opportunity to get involved and give back to the community.

“When 2nd & 7 was founded, they went to seven 2nd grade classrooms,” Weirich said. “That’s what we have lined up for our community. And the best part about it is we’re not just throwing money at a cause and saying we support it, we’re actually calling schools, scheduling readings, visiting the classrooms and donating books.”

Weirich and Derek Cummings from Nurtured Pets recently read to 2nd-graders at St. Mary’s School at Dennison before giving each child a book.

Source: Times Reporter