New York, NY (September 23, 2015)ÑGoddard Riverside Community Center will celebrate Scholastic Chairman and CEO Dick Robinson at its Annual Gala to be held Tuesday, October 27th at historic Gotham Hall in downtown Manhattan. Joining the evening to help honor Robinson will be Dav Pilkey, bestselling author/illustrator of the wildly popular Captain Underpants series.
"Dick Robinson has spent his long and remarkable career introducing children to the joy of reading," said Goddard Riverside President Stephan Russo. "He truly shares our commitment to promoting literacy to all young people."
Robinson became President of Scholastic in 1974 and has turned it into the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leading provider of print and digital instructional materials for pre-K -12. Today, the Scholastic Open a World of Possible campaign provides teachers and parents with research-backed guidance and resources to help all children discover the joy of reading. Through the Scholastic Possible Fund, the company donates millions of books to children in disadvantaged communities each year.
The Annual Gala will also highlight the work of Goddard Riverside’s Star Learning Center, which provides one-on-one tutoring to children from low-income families.
The publishing community has partnered with Goddard Riverside for decades, raising millions of dollars for its homeless programs and other social services. The Annual Gala leads into the Goddard Riverside Book Fair on November 21-22 Ñ another key collaboration between Goddard Riverside and its generous supporters in the publishing world.
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Goddard Riverside Community Center is one of New York City’s leading human service organizations, assisting more than 17,000 people each year on the Upper West Side and throughout New York City. Goddard Riverside builds community and changes lives with vital services including early childhood and youth programs, college counseling, supportive housing, employment readiness, older adult services and outreach to homeless people.