Connecticut-based ESPN, Save the Children Team Up to Help U.S. Children Growing Up in Rural Poverty

BRISTOL, Conn. (Jun. 8, 2018) – On Wednesday, employees from ESPN teamed up with Fairfield-based Save the Children to help kids in need by assembling learning kits. The “Kits for Kids” event, held on ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn., brought together dozens of volunteers who packed 1,500 tote bags with supplies aimed at encouraging children to learn, play and grow.

Kits assembled by Team ESPN, called “Early Steps to School Success Kits,” include books such as Big Red Barn and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, along with educational toys. Early Steps to School Success is a Save the Children program that delivers high-quality early childhood development services to children ages 0 to 5 and their families in 14 states. The program equips parents with the skills to successfully support their children’s growth and become their child’s first and best teacher.

Save the Children will deliver these kits to vulnerable children in the United States, including children growing up in poverty-stricken pockets of rural America. A report released by the global humanitarian organization last week, titled Growing Up Rural in America, found that one in four children in America’s rural areas live in poverty, compared to one in five who live in urban areas. And five states – Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina – all have rural child poverty rates at or above 33 percent, meaning at least one in three rural children in these states are growing up in poverty.

This hands-on event was just one of several “Kits for Kids” projects held this week during Global Week of Service with Disney, ESPN’s parent company, to benefit Save the Children. Nearly 20,000 kits in total are being assembled by Disney employees in the U.S. and around the world, through the Disney VoluntEARS program, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. 

About ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplifts the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use power of sport to positively address society’s needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.