SAN DIEGO, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The UPS Store
celebrated more than just the debut of its first-ever float in the
2017 Tournament of Roses Parade® today taking home the Isabella Coleman Award for its float "Books
Bring Us Together," a float designed to highlight the importance of
childhood literacy.
The Isabella Coleman Award, named
after the first female float designer for the Tournament of Roses
Parade, is given to the float that represents the best in
presentation of color and color harmony through floral use.
The float was designed to spotlight the Toys for Tots Literacy
Program, developed by The UPS Store and the Marine Toys for Tots
Foundation in 2008. The program provides books and educational
resources to economically disadvantaged children in communities
across the country, aiming to enhance children's ability to read
and communicate effectively by igniting their imaginations through
stories and tales.
"The UPS Store is honored to receive this year's Isabella Coleman Award," said Karen Kelly, director of advertising at The UPS
Store. "This year's 'Echoes of Success' theme felt like the perfect
opportunity for us to get involved and put the importance of
childhood literacy on a national stage."
The UPS Store float was the tallest in this year's parade at 42
feet high and weighing in at 18 tons. The float features animal
friends – a mouse holding a book, a gigantic giraffe with reading
glasses and the U.S. Marine Corps teddy bear – all reading
together. More than 60,000 chrysanthemums in six different
varieties decorate the float, along with thousands of carnations,
roses, lilies and orchids in various bright colors. The float's
animation includes the giraffe turning his head side to side and
wiggling his ears. The mouse and the teddy bear turn their heads as
well, rocking side to side as the toy tops on the back end of the
float spin.
Since its inception the literacy program has distributed more
than 36.8 million books to children across the United States. For more information visit
https://www.theupsstore.com/roses.
About The UPS Store
With more than 4,500 locations, The UPS Store® network comprises
the nation's largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal,
print and business service centers. The UPS Store locations in the
U.S. are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees
of The UPS Store, Inc., a subsidiary of UPS (NYSE: UPS). Services,
pricing and hours of operation may vary by location. For additional
information on The UPS Store, including information on franchise
opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location, visit
www.theupsstore.com. Follow The UPS Store on Twitter at
@TheUPSStore and like The UPS Store on Facebook at
facebook.com/theupsstore. Copyright © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. All
rights reserved.
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SOURCE The UPS Store