Dennis Van Roekel, President of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million educators

From the Truffula Trees to the Once-ler and the hoots of the Bar-ba-Loots, Dr. Seuss and the Lorax will lead the nation’s largest reading event in 2012. The 15th annual NEA’s Read Across America Day—the nationwide program that helps children discover the joy of reading—is expected to draw more than 45 million participants on Friday, March 2.

This year, the children’s favorite book “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss, will take center stage with its message of the importance of preserving the environment. The National Education Association (NEA) president Dennis Van Roekel will be joined by global superstars Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White, and Danny DeVito in celebrating this special day. The actors, who all lend their voice to the upcoming movie based on the book, also recorded Read Across America PSAs encouraging people to pick up a book and read to a child. (Visit www.nea.org/readacross to view the PSAs.) Additionally, Zac Efron will also serve as a celebrity guest reader at a national reading event at the New York Public Library on NEA’s Read Across America Day, March 2.

NEA will also rev up its engines for the first ever “NEA’s Lorax Reading Tour – Driven by Mazda”– a cross-country tour to visit public schools to bring the gift of reading to thousands of public school students. The tour will visit more than 15 cities across the country and will also highlight some student-led school and community based environmental projects. NEA’s partner, Mazda, will donate $25, up to $1 million in total, to benefit public school libraries in need across the United States between February 20 through April 2, 2012.

Every March 2, Dr. Seuss’ birthday, NEA members nationwide host school and community events designed to pay homage to the beloved children’s book author and to get the nation’s young people excited about reading. Since 1997, NEA’s Read Across America has attracted some of the biggest names in politics, entertainment and sports to help children discover the joy of reading. In addition to First Lady Michelle Obama, past celebrity participants have included Jessica Alba, Carrie Underwood, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alex Rodriguez, Serena Williams, Selena Gomez, Shaquille O’Neal and many others.

“This national celebration is not just about one hour or one day of reading, it is about cultivating a lifetime of good reading habits that will translate into academic success,” said Van Roekel. “NEA’s Read Across America brings students, parents, educators and the entire community together to share the joy of reading.”

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