Independence Blue Cross and Philadelphia READS celebrated Read Across Philadelphia Day with Mayor Kenney and first-graders from the Isaac A. Sheppard Elementary School. Lorina Marshall-Blake, Independence Blue Cross Foundation president, and Stephen Fera, senior vice president of Public Affairs at Independence, joined the mayor for a spirited reading of the classic children’s book, “The Cat in the Hat,” by Dr. Seuss. Independence gave each child a copy of the book to take home.
Independence is an active supporter of literacy efforts in the community and has participated in Philadelphia READS for more than 15 years. The company’s employees have read to and mentored more than 500 students from Sheppard. In addition, Independence has also supported nearly 30 projects equaling 1,500 hours for education and literacy through the company’s Blue Crew employee volunteer program in 2018.
Philadelphia READS provides access to book and community programs to foster a love of reading and increase literacy in the city. Read Across Philadelphia Day, which is in line with the national “Read Across America Day,” celebrates the birthday and legacy of Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) and promotes the importance of reading.