SoCalGas Partners with Reading Heart to Host Largest-Ever Community-wide Book Fair Distributing Free Books to Corcoran Residents

Over 20,000 books were donated to the community of Corcoran to promote education and spread the love of reading

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and student-run nonprofit, Reading Heart, partnered with the City of Corcoran to host the nonprofit's largest-ever, community-wide Book Fair which provided over 20,000 free books to Corcoran residents.

"SoCalGas is proud to partner with Reading Heart to host this first-ever, city-wide book fair for the residents of Corcoran," said Andy Carrasco, SoCalGas vice president of communications, local government and community affairs. "At SoCalGas we are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve through giving of our time and support. This book fair energized a community by providing enough books for every resident in the city and we are grateful for the partnership with Reading Heart and the City of Corcoran."

"I started Reading Heart to share my love of reading with other children and I am beyond thrilled that we were able to provide 20,000 books—one for every resident in Corcoran—at the Book Fair. This is our largest event to date, and it would not have been possible without the generous support of SoCalGas," said Danay Ferguson (age 15), who founded Reading Heart when she was 8 years old.

The community event was filled with music, games, entertainment and most importantly, stacks of books for residents to choose from. The first-of-its-kind event was designed to make books more accessible to students and promote reading in the Central Valley where illiteracy is one of the biggest challenges facing young students. Each student that attended the community-wide book fair received a free book and was encouraged to participate in the reading challenges hosted by Reading Heart.

In the weeks leading up to the community-wide book fair, Reading Heart hosted three book fairs at elementary schools across the city including Bret Harte Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, and John C. Fremont Elementary. Images and videos from those events can be found here. 

"We are honored to have been a part of this wonderful event," said Corcoran Mayor Patricia Nolen. "You could feel the excitement in the air when each and every Corcoran resident had the chance to pick out a book and take it home! Reading is such a critical part of shaping our children's future, I'm so glad to have such great community partners in Reading Heart and SoCalGas that helped make this event a reality." 

"This book fair in Corcoran is the largest event Reading Heart has ever had—providing enough books for every single resident in the city! My daughter Danay started Reading Heart when she was 8 years old because she wanted to spread the joy of reading to other children, and I believe that our mission was accomplished in Corcoran thanks to the generous support of SoCalGas," said Dwayne Ferguson, CEO of Reading Heart.

To make this event possible, SoCalGas donated $6,000 to Reading Heart to support its mission for each child has access to books. This donation underscores SoCalGas' commitment to not only furthering children's education, but championing people and communities throughout our Central Valley service area.  

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition—providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.

SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego.

For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

Reading Heart is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) book donation program dedicated to serving children in hospitals and children in areas with limited access to books. Reading Heart works specifically in the Central Valley hosting events and book drives to support underserved communities. Danay started Reading Heart at the age of eight because she wanted to share her passion for reading and the joy of escaping in a good book with other children. An avid book reader and advocate for education, Danay wants to spread the joy of reading and improve literacy not only in our community but also across the country.

Incorporated in 1914, the City of Corcoran, population of 23,154, is located in the San Joaquin Valley. For more information contact the Corcoran City Manager's Office at (559) 992-2151 ext. 2501 or connect with City of Corcoran on Instagram (@city_of_corcoran) and Facebook (@cityofcorcoran).

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company