2008-08-25 21:51:01 -
- For Federal Street Press Ward Group P.R., Inc. Allison Moore, 941-758-4912 moore.pr@verizon.net Wide-eyed youngsters hung out with their basketball heroes in San Juan, Puerto Rico, over the weekend when Legends Rick Barry and David Thompson of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) shared stories and playing tips with hearing impaired and underprivileged boys and girls.
The "Project
Smile" program, held in conjunction with the NBA and ABA annual reunion, has a simple goal -- delivering smiles, boosting spirits and providing hope to people worldwide. Children attending the event received a new hearing aid from the Starkey Hearing Foundation and a copy of Webster's Spanish English Dictionary for Students courtesy of Federal Street Press, a Darien, Connecticut based company.
"The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is very appreciative for the support Federal Street Press is showing for our community outreach efforts in Puerto Rico," said Buck Williams, NBRPA President. "While the NBRPA and its Legends will give the gift of hearing to more than 200 underprivileged and hearing impaired kids, Federal Street Press has been gracious enough to provide them with the 'Gift of Words' by donating a Spanish/English dictionary to each child."
When Deborah Hastings, publisher of Federal Street Press, a division of Merriam-Webster Inc., learned of the event and the kids involved, the decision to donate was easy. "We create dictionaries that define the words that kids at this age encounter in their studies and in day-to-day life. A good dictionary has to be easy to use and has to contain the words students need to know. We are proud that we are continuing in the tradition of Noah Webster, who saw the dictionary as a learning tool that opens up the world to children through language."
Service groups and individuals in communities nationwide are donating dictionaries to children in local schools. To learn how to donate log on to: www.federalstreetpress.com/dpd.
Needy Kids Receive Gift of Hearing and Gift of Words
