Recent Press Releases

LOCAL TEEN TO BE HONORED AT U.N.

New Jersey Girl Recognized For Humanitarian Work

U.N HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK, NY, August 6 - Shannon McNamara, 17, of Basking Ridge, N.J. will receive the Outstanding Youth Achievers’ Recognition at the 7^th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations. McNamara is being honored for her work to empower African girls through education. She is the founder of SHARE, Shannon’s After-school Reading Exchange (www.shareinafrica.org), a non-profit literacy program for girls in rural Tanzania.

McNamara is one of ten teens from around the world to receive this recognition. The ceremony will take place on Friday, August 6^th, from 3:45 to 5:45 at U.N. Headquarters (Conference Room 1). Ambassador Lorenzo from the Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to the U.N. will present McNamara with the award.

The Annual Youth Assembly gathers hundreds of global youth leaders and involves them in the achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. This year’s assembly is taking place August 4^th-6^th at U.N. Headquarters in New York. The three-day event is organized by the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation.

SHARE renovates deteriorated classrooms, creates school libraries and after-school reading programs, and employs teachers. Shannon McNamara founded SHARE in 2008, when she was just 15. She wanted to help girls in Tanzania become literate, so they could lift themselves out of poverty. McNamara mobilized 800 teens to volunteer thousands of hours collecting and boxing 23,000 books which were shipped to Africa. She has traveled to Tanzania the last three summers to work with the girls and open more SHARE branches. SHARE’s motto: “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

For more information, contact SHARE’s Public Relations Director, Diane Ashton (973-727-7830) or visit the website, www.shareinafrica.org.

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.shareinafrica.org/node/99

http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/16334

Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Scout Awarded National Young Women of Distinction Honor One of Ten Honorees Nationwide

Great story for National Girl Scout Week (March 7 –13)

16 year-old Shannon McNamara of Basking Ridge has been named one of the Girl Scouts’ 2009 National Young Women of Distinction. The award is given for demonstrating extraordinary leadership in the completion of a community action project.

Girl Scouts of the USA honors only ten National Young Women of Distinction each year. Each of the young women has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award – the highest award in Girl Scouting. Shannon was recognized for her efforts to empower African girls through education.

Kathy Cloninger, CEO, Girl Scouts USA, presented Shannon with the award at a special awards ceremony on February 27 at the Girl Scout National Corporate Leadership Meeting in St. Louis. Each honoree spent one to two years on a community action project that had far-reaching effects in her community and beyond. Among the honorees this year are authors, advocates, and environmentalists with projects based in a wide range of locations—from India, Africa, and China to neighborhoods in Louisiana and California. S

Shannon was the only honoree from the Northeast. Shannon’s After-school Reading Exchange (SHARE, www.shareinafrica.org), was founded in 2008 out of a desire to empower girls in East Africa to reach their highest potential through reading. Shannon has mobilized 800 New Jersey students to volunteer thousands of hours collecting 21,000 books, which were delivered to impoverished African school children their age. Shannon has traveled the last two summers to Tanzania to expand the SHARE program to three schools, helping approximately 150 girls improve their reading and English language skills. The non-profit renovates deteriorated classrooms, creates school libraries, and employs teachers.

SHARE’s motto is: "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." Shannon’s work has earned her numerous awards, media attention, and even recognition by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Miley Cyrus. For more information, plus photos and videos for press use, visit SHARE’s website, www.shareinafrica.org. Shannon was also recently named one of New Jersey’s top two youth volunteers for 2010 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. This nationwide program honors young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

For information on Girl Scouts or to volunteer, call 908-232-3236 or visit us at www.gshnj.org.

Please direct inquiries about joining Girl Scouts to GSHNJ Membership Department (908) 973-746-8200 or www.gshnj.org.

SHARE FOUNDER RECEIVES TOP HONOR FROM GIRL SCOUTS

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 26, 2010 --

16 year-old Shannon McNamara of Basking Ridge, N.J., has been named one of the Girl Scouts’ 2009 National Young Women of Distinction. Shannon is being recognized for her efforts to empower African girls through education. The award is given for “demonstrating extraordinary leadership in the completion of a community action project.” Only ten girls nationwide receive this honor, and Shannon is the only recipient from the northeast. Shannon and the other young women will be honored at a special awards ceremony on February 27th at the Girl Scout National Corporate Leadership Meeting in St. Louis.

"Earning the Young Women of Distinction designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and these young women exemplify leadership in all its forms," said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. "They saw a need in their communities and around the world and took action. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership, is making the world a better place."

Shannon founded SHARE (SHannon’s After-school Reading Exchange), a nonprofit which seeks to empower African girls through education. Shannon has mobilized 800 New Jersey students to volunteer thousands of hours collecting and boxing 21,000 books, which are shipped 10,000 miles to Africa and then delivered to impoverished school children their age. Shannon has traveled the last two summers to Tanzania to work with the “SHARE girls” and open additional afterschool reading programs.

For more information, contact Diane Ashton at diane@shareinafrica.org. RELATED LINKS: www.shareinafrica.org http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2010/young_women_distinctio...

TEEN STAR MILEY CYRUS THINKS SHARE “ROCKS”

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., November 2, 2009 --

Singer and actress Miley Cyrus has given SHARE’s founder, Shannon McNamara, a special invitation to her November 7th concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

The teen sensation will also be meeting with Shannon backstage prior to the concert. McNamara has been singled out for “doing an outstanding job volunteering and making an impact in [her] community.”

This recognition comes after she posted her story and videos on www.geturgoodon.org. Cyrus is the celebrity spokesperson for Get UR Good On, which has partnered with Youth Service America to encourage young people to do volunteer work and service projects.

Sixteen year-old Shannon McNamara founded SHARE (SHannon’s After-school Reading Exchange), a nonprofit which seeks to empower African girls through education. She has mobilized 800 New Jersey students to volunteer thousands of hours collecting and boxing 21,000 books, which are shipped 10,000 miles to Africa and then delivered to impoverished school children their age. McNamara has traveled the last two summers to Tanzania to work with the “SHARE girls” and open additional afterschool reading programs. Today, over 150 SHARE girls meet 6 times each week to become literate to help themselves out of poverty. SHARE renovates deteriorated classrooms, creates school libraries, and employs teachers. SHARE’s motto: “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

For more information, contact SHARE’S Public Relations Director, Diane Ashton at 973-727-7830, or diane@shareinafrica.org

CONTACT: Diane Ashton 973-727-7830

CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE GIRL AT A TIME

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- July 15, 2009 --

A New Jersey teen is headed to Tanzania this Saturday, on a mission to help young girls in one impoverished region get an education and a chance at a better future. Sixteen year-old Shannon McNamara is the founder of SHARE, Shannon’s After-School Reading Exchange.

One year ago, Shannon started the non-profit literacy program for primary school girls in Bukoba, Tanzania as a way to fulfill her Girl Scout Gold Award. Shannon is now set to return to Tanzania to officially open two more branches of SHARE. Thanks to this program, 150 girls, ages 10 to 15, are able to work on their reading and English skills after school. They also learn about health and nutrition.

It is especially important to focus on educating young girls in the Bukoba area. Many girls remain illiterate, as the social structure encourages the education of males, while females are valued for domestic chores and marriage. SHARE has established three libraries for school girls in Tanzania. Shannon collected donations of 1,200 children’s books to open the first SHARE branch in summer 2008.

After that, Shannon and her friends boxed 8,000 more donated books and shipped them to Bukoba in spring 2009. Since then, they have collected an additional 10,000 books, with more contributions on the way. SHARE has also raised over $37,000 to pay for shipping costs, room repair and to hire coordinators to oversee the reading programs at the schools.

Bukoba is one of the poorest areas of one of the poorest nations in the world. High unemployment and the HIV epidemic are huge problems. To be born a girl in Bukoba often means being doomed to a life with little education or clean water, with marriage and babies coming too early, too many births, babies who die of preventable diseases, backbreaking work in the fields, and subordination to a husband and his family. SHARE provides a respite from these worries, and a place to learn and grow.

“Despite all of the SHARE girls’ daily problems, they always have smiles on their faces, and they’re ready to read. They are my heroes and an inspiration for all of us,” say Shannon.

Shannon and her family will be in Tanzania from July 19 to July 31. They will be available for media interviews in Dar Es Salaam from July 19 to July 21, in Bukoba from July 22 to 26, and in Zanzibar from July 27 to 31. Shannon will also be accessible for interviews in New Jersey after August 3. She will have video footage and photographs of her trip that will be free for media use.

To set up an interview, please contact SHARE’s director of public relations, Diane Ashton, at 973-727-7830, or diane@shareinafrica.org.