Camino Nuevo Charter Academy Unveils Bridges To Reading

LOS ANGELES – Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA) officially opened new libraries on June 4 at its two K-8 campuses serving the MacArthur Park and Westlake communities. The refurbished libraries, named Bridges to Reading, were made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. Students from CNCA, members of the community and Lowe’s representatives commemorated the moment.

CNCA used the Lowe’s grant to furnish the libraries with computer stations for research, seating areas for instructional use and group reading, and projectors and televisions. Many CNCA students have been unable to enjoy the benefits of library access because of limited transportation.

Located in one of the most densely populated, highly impoverished and non-English speaking areas in Los Angeles, the libraries will now give more than 1,000 students direct access to books and support the academy’s efforts to promote family literacy. CNCA offers various literacy training programs for parents. Bridging the gap between home and school learning, the new libraries will provide the necessary resources and much needed space for parents and their children to learn and enjoy reading.

“Lowe’s generosity exemplifies their dedication to community improvement,” says Ana Ponce, chief executive officer of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. “These funds have been instrumental in bringing our libraries to life. With greater access to books, our students will read more, enabling them to develop higher levels of reading fluency and comprehension and improve their written communications skills. These libraries will build strong literacy bridges for our students to support them in becoming college ready and college bound!”

“Lowe’s is committed to recognizing and supporting efforts that enrich the lives of our neighbors and customers,” said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting schools like Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build a stronger foundation for the children who will be tomorrow’s employees, homeowners and community leaders.”

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Since its inception in 1957, Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has helped communities nationwide through employee volunteerism and financial contributions. Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $27.5 million to support community and education projects across the United States and Canada in 2007.

ABOUT CAMINO NUEVO CHARTER ACADEMY

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy is a network of college preparatory public charter schools, serving more than 1,500 students in preschool through high school. It was founded in August 2000 by Pueblo Nuevo development, a nonprofit community development corporation in the MacArthur Park/Pico Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. This neighborhood is one of the poorest and most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The mission of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy is to educate students in a college preparatory program to become literate, critical and independent problem solvers who are agents of social justice with sensitivity towards the world around them.

ABOUT LOWE’S

Lowe’s is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity International, American Red Cross, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country. In 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $27.5 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe’s also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe’s Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe’s is a FORTUNE® 50 company with fiscal year 2007 sales of $48.3 billion and has more than 1,550 stores in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.Lowes.com/community.