At the Latin Chamber of Commerce's February luncheon, the Latin Chamber and Another Joy Foundation announced a strategic partnership with The Public Education Foundation to improve education in Southern Nevada. The collaboration between the groups is called "Linked up for Learning" and also includes the Clark County School District.

As part of this new partnership, the Latin Chamber and Another Joy Foundation have donated almost 162,000 textbooks in English and Spanish with an estimated retail value of $6.8 million to The Public Education Foundation for use in Southern Nevada classrooms. The books cover areas such as math, science and language arts and are for students in grades K-16.

The Foundation is currently working with the Clark County School District to screen and select the textbooks that are appropriate for use in classrooms to supplement current curriculum. Some of the college-level textbooks will be placed in high school libraries and presented to graduating seniors to help them as they enter post-secondary programs. It is anticipated that at least 25 local schools will benefit from this initial donation.

In addition to the textbooks, Another Joy will soon donate plant, vegetable and flower seeds to be used by Clark County School District schools for school and classroom projects.

The Foundation believes by linking all of our efforts together, Linked Up for Learning will make a measurable and meaningful difference for all Southern Nevada children.

Read the Las Vegas Review-Journal's editorial on the donation.

From left to right: Javier Trujillo, Chairman, Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce; Hergit Llenas, Director of Clark County READS, The Public Education Foundation; Carolyn Edwards, Trustee, Clark County School District; Judi Steele, President of The Public Education Foundation and Alden Crowley, Founder, Another Joy Foundation