New York — April 19, 2010 — Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing, education and media company, andHandsOn Network , the largest volunteer organization in the nation, are working together in celebration of National Volunteer Week to inspire youth engagement in service through the BE BIG™ campaign. Children and families can go to scholastic.com/cliffordbebig or handsonnetwork.org/bebig to find opportunities to get involved with on the local level by volunteering at one of the many HandsOn Network projects across the country. In addition to the Greater DC Cares’ Servathon in Washington DC, the largest event in that organization's history, large-scale service opportunities will take place in Minneapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis and Toledo.

Kids, parents, teachers and community leaders are also invited to take action during National Volunteer Week to enter their BIG ideas in the second annual “Be Big In Your Community Contest. It invites people to submit a BIG idea that demonstrates Clifford’s BIG Ideas (Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be A Good Friend, Help Others, Be Truthful, Be Kind and Believe In Yourself) for a chance to win $75,000 in community grants.*

As inspiration to service and in support of the National Volunteer Week theme of “Celebrating People in Action,” profiles of past contest winners doing BIG things are featured at http://www.justgood.tv/nvw/ and www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig/contest. Thousands of participants across the country have already demonstrated their commitment to being BIG; Scholastic and HandsOn Network have helped to get numerous projects off the ground, including a boundless playground in West Virginia and a summer program for homeless youth in Arkansas. The week will also see additional opportunities for service with events during Global Youth Service Day.

"We're already seeing Clifford and the BE BIG campaign inspire children and families to make a BIG difference in the lives of others," said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. "National Volunteer Week is a terrific opportunity for young people to get engaged in service; we’re proud that the BE BIG In Your Community Contest can serve as a call to action for kids to make a difference while taking pride in service to their communities."

"The children of today are the service leaders of tomorrow, and their volunteer service now will create patterns of engagement that will last a lifetime," said Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder of HandsOn Network. "We are grateful to Scholastic Media for providing a way for a new generation to make their mark on the world and make a difference."

Clifford's Big Ideas came out of the curriculum developed for the award-winning animated television series – which celebrates its 10th anniversary on PBS KIDS® this year. With more than 126 million books in print, Clifford is a literary classic embraced by parents, teachers and kids. Newly repackaged Clifford classic stories by Clifford creator Norman Bridwell will be released in May 2010 from Scholastic.

The Clifford BE BIG campaign (scholastic.com/cliffordbebig) is a fully integrated cause marketing program that invites everyone to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford’s BIG ideas can make the world a better place. Its mission is to recognize and reward others for their BIG actions, to catalyze change in local communities, and to provide resources for everyone to share BIG ideas. The initiative is sponsored by American Family Insurance, an organization with a long tradition of community sponsorships and involvement, contributing to organizations that improve the quality of life for those in need, particularly children. Based in Madison, WI, American Family offers auto, homeowners, life, health, commercial and farm/ranch insurance in 19 states, ranks 388th on the Fortune 500 list, and is the nation’s third-largest mutual property/casualty insurance company.

If you would like more information about Scholastic, please visit Scholastic’s media room at mediaroom.scholastic.com. For more information about HandsOn Network, visit www.handsonnetwork.org. For more information on Clifford visit PBSKIDS.org/clifford or PBS.org/pressroom.

Contact:

Scholastic:
Brian Reinert / Ashley Gillen
brian_reinert@bhimpact.com / ashley_gillen@bhimpact.com /
212.689.6360

HandsOn Network:
Saxon Seay
SSeay@handsonnetwork.org
404.979.2731

* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest open to legal residents of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, except second place eligibility limited to legal residents of Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. For complete rules go to www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig/contestrules.