Kids Can Press Partners With Onexone to Put Books Into the Hands of Children in Haiti

(Jan. 27, 2011 - Toronto) — To mark Family Literacy Day in Canada, Corus Entertainment's Kids Can Press announced an initiative designed to inform children about the world and to help the children in one of the most devastated parts of Haiti.

Kids Can Press will donate 50 percent of its profits from the sales of "This Child, Every Child: A Book About the World's Children in North America" to ONEXONE, a nonprofit foundation committed to improving the lives of children. The donation will be used to deliver books to children in Haiti and will be distributed in a variety of ways, including donations to libraries at two new schools: L'cole Nouvelle Zoranje and L'cole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean.

"This Child, Every Child," shows kids what life is really like for children across the globe. Using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a template to compare and contrast kids' experiences and opportunities, author David J. Smith introduces young readers to the world beyond their own borders and reveals the challenges children face in obtaining adequate food, clean water, health care, education, and more.

Smith, a leader in international education and author of the bestselling book "If the World Were a Village," felt compelled to share with young readers the dramatic and sobering facts about children around the world. "These issues are not light or easy, but they affect millions of children," says Smith.

"David's books are emblematic of what we're committed to do with the CitizenKid collection in terms of providing a foundation for children and families to learn about the world," explains Lisa Lyons, president of Kids Can Press. "The book is also a call to action, encouraging kids and families to make a difference since change can happen one kid at a time. What's more, our company wanted to affect change by using this important book to help us to deliver books to children in Haiti. As ONEXONE has sent two teams of medical personnel and delivered more than $7 million worth of supplies to Haiti in the last 12 months, we knew they would be excellent partners."

Joey Adler, ONEXONE founder and president, said: "We thank and applaud Kids Can Press for joining us in helping the children of Haiti with the fundamental tool of literacy — books. More than 45 percent of Haiti's population is comprised of children and education is an important aspect of rebuilding the country."

In addition to donating part of the profits from the sale of "This Child, Every Child," Corus Entertainment's flagship kids network YTV will be supporting the initiative in Canada by donating advertising time on-air as well as online at YTV.com.