Borders(R) Kicks Off Holiday Giving Campaign for Corporate Literacy Partner First Book

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Borders and First Book, an award- winning national literacy organization, announced that they will again team up for a holiday giving campaign. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, all Borders, Waldenbooks and Borders Express stores nationwide will accept donations in denominations of $1, $3, $5 or more from customers on behalf of First Book. All of the funds collected across the country will be pooled and Borders gift cards, which will be used to purchase new books, will be given to various local community recipient organizations affiliated with First Book such as Head Start centers, libraries, soup kitchens, housing projects and after- school initiatives.

Earlier this fall, Borders Group donated $50,000 to First Book in honor of the life-changing work that teachers perform each day and to celebrate Educator Savings Week that ran in Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide from Sept. 25 through Oct. 2.

Together, Borders and First Book are bringing the magic of books and reading to children in need in across the country. Since November 2005, Borders and First Book have raised more than $1.6 million to provide new books to hundreds of thousands of children through 1,200 community programs in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, many of whom were able to visit Borders and Waldenbooks stores to pick out their books - something they rarely are able to do.

"Nearly two-thirds of low-income families have no books at home for their children and Borders is dedicated to improving these odds by providing children with new books with the help of our customers," said Michael Tam, chief marketing officer for Borders Group Inc. "The campaign that runs through the holidays will provide kids of all ages with books throughout the year."

Borders' holiday fundraising effort in 2006 for First Book raised more than $830,000 through customer donations and corporate gifts. First Book is an award-winning non-profit organization that since its founding in 1992 has distributed more than 50 million books to children in low-income families.

"We are absolutely delighted to work with Borders again this holiday season," said First Book President, Kyle Zimmer. "First Book is proud to share Borders' belief in enriching lives through the magic of books and reading. Through the phenomenal generosity of Borders and its customers, we have been able to bring thousands of brand new books to children who might not otherwise have such an opportunity. We look forward to teaming up with Borders to make the holiday season more joyful through giving."

About Borders Group, Inc.

Borders Group, Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BGP. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., the company is a $4.1 billion global retailer of books, music, movies, and gift and stationery items. Through its subsidiaries, Borders Group has more than 30,000 employees and operates over 1,100 stores worldwide primarily under the Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) names. The company's mission is to be a headquarters for knowledge and entertainment. More information on Borders Group is available at www.bordersgroupinc.com.

First Book

First Book is an award-winning national nonprofit organization that provides new books to children from low-income families in neighborhoods across the country. The primary goal of First Book is to work with local existing literacy programs to distribute new books to children who, for economic reasons, have little or no access to books. First Book's model is national in scope and local in impact. With 245 community boards, First Book grants books to organizations across the country that serve the needs of children. First Book has provided more than 46 million new books to children in need in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information about First Book is available at www.FirstBook.org.

    Contact:
    Ann Binkley                    Kolleen O'Meara
    (734) 477-1739                 (734) 477-1224
    abinkley@bordersgroupinc.com   komeara@bordersgroupinc.com

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/106169.html/