Orlando Magic Baskets for Books presented by Florida Blue celebrates 10th anniversary

Create: Thu, 10/08/2020 - 01:31
Author: Sera King

By SERA KING / Headline Surfer

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic's 2019-2020 season may be over, but its community outreach continues all year round. 

One such outreach program is now a decade old as detailed in OrlandoMagic.com.

For every point made by the Orlando Magic at every home game, one book is donated to the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County.

In an effort to develop lifelong learners through literacy and education, the Orlando Magic and Florida Blue recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Baskets for Books program presented by Florida Blue.

Since program inception in 2010, more than 54,000 total books have been donated to the Early Learning Coalition. Nearly 4,000 books were donated last season (2019-20) with the help of Houghton Mifflin & Harcourt Publishing Company.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, the Magic and Florida Blue teamed up to create a children's book, STUFF & SUNNY Take Flight, which was distributed virtually over the summer to Orange County Public Schools' elementary school youth, Magic season ticket holders, premium partners and through the Magic's eNews subscribers.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, the Magic and Florida Blue teamed up to create a children's book, STUFF & SUNNY Take Flight, which was distributed virtually over the summer to Orange County Public Schools' elementary school youth, Magic season ticket holders, premium partners and through the Magic's eNews subscribers.

The two also donated water bottles to the ELC book recipients.

In addition, over the last three years, the Magic and Florida Blue have participated in Orange County Library System's Summer Reading Program, which offered youth ages 6-12 a chance to receive Magic tickets during the upcoming seasons for submitting five book reviews online through the library's reading program.

The two also took part in the Orlando Public Library’s Summer Reading Celebration, the culminating event, with Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw joining in the celebration.

About the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County
In 1999, Florida law established the Early Learning Coalition to ensure children ages birth to five experienced the benefits of a developmentally appropriate, research based early education services while respecting the role of the parent as a child’s first teacher. The Coalition provides access to high quality early care and education to eligible children and promotes best practices among early learning providers.
This unique partnership of business leaders, health and education professionals, government and non-profit stakeholders oversee, coordinate and leverage over $67 million annually to ensure measurable early learning outcomes translate to school readiness success.
To learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of children, please visit www.elcoc.org or call (407) 841-6607.

Sera King bio / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer:

Sera King is associate publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet serving greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando, FL via HeadlineSurfer.com since 2008. She also is a byline writer, videographer & cartoonist for the media outlet. King received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Ana G. Mendez University in Orlando.

Headline Surfer LLC is published by Henry Frederick, Central Florida's award-winning journalist.

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