SCJ earned the South Sound Reading Foundation’s first Business Partner Literacy Champion Award at the foundation’s Readers are Leaders breakfast last month.

“The award recognizes a business partner that has gone above and beyond to advance children’s literacy in our community,” shared foundation Executive Director Jennifer Williamson Forster. “It was an easy choice for the first award to go to SCJ Alliance.”

“Why are a bunch of engineers, planners, and landscape architects – known more for the love of math and science than English or the arts – so supportive of the South Sound Reading Foundation?” SCJ Senior Principal Jean Carr said. “Readers are thinkers: imaginative knowledge-seekers and critical problem-solvers.”

“We place a high value on reading at SCJ,” Jean continued. “We have a leadership book club at the office, use children’s books in our annual staff retreats, and, of course, read to our own children and grandchildren.”

“SCJ has been a long-time supporter of the Reading Foundation’s mission,” noted Reading Foundation Co-president Anne Wilson when presenting the award. She said SCJ has generously sponsored and attended events, provided volunteers, and shared important programming guidance.

“It is our honor to support the foundation and its mission of making sure every child has the tools they need to read and succeed,” Jean said.