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CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Skinner West Elementary students will travel to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s global headquarters for a morning of reading and writing activities hosted by Sesame Workshop's Cookie Monster and ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day is the Early Literacy Initiative sponsored by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) through its partnership with the Sesame Workshop.

"Children learn from the time they're born, and we all can play a key role in helping them experience the joy of expressing themselves, reading and writing," said Sarah Pang, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Community Involvement, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. Ìý

Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day is a that offers a comprehensive set of resources to support children's early literacy development. Each component of the initiative is developed to help young children and families make the most of everyday opportunities to talk, read and write together. This first-of-its-kind program is designed to reach the most vulnerable and underserved children (ages 0-5) and their families.

IICF provided a grant to Sesame Workshop, totaling $750,000, to go towards the development and implementation of Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day.

"In 2013, IICF launched the Early Literacy Initiative with a goal of uniting the insurance industry to focus on improving literacy across America," said Bill Ross, Chief Executive Officer, IICF. "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ has been a major supporter of literacy initiatives and we're thrilled they have partnered with Chicago's Skinner West Elementary to provide students with access to resources to help improve their reading and writing capabilities from an early age."

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To learn more about ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s social responsibility programs, initiatives or events, please visit . For more information about the IICF, please visit .

About ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½
Serving businesses and professionals since 1897, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ is the country's eighth largest commercial insurance writer and the 14th largest property andÌýcasualtyÌýcompany. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s insurance products include commercial lines, specialty lines, surety, marine and other property and casualty coverages. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s services include risk management, information services, underwriting, risk control and claims administration. For more information, please visit ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ at . "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½" is a service mark registered by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Financial Corporation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Certain ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Financial Corporation subsidiaries use the "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½" service mark in connection with insurance underwriting and claims activities.

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About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation was established in 1994 and is completely directed and funded by the insurance industry.Ìý The foundation helps communities and enriches lives by uniting the collective strengths of the industry to provide grants, volunteer service and leadership.Ìý Since its inception, IICF has contributed $25.3 million in grants to charities and nearly 219,000 volunteer hours to hundreds of community nonprofit organizations.Ìý IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

CONTACT:
Brandon Davis, 312-822-5167 / 312-834-6091
Sarah Pang, 312-822-6394 / 312-607-5544

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