Children who grow up in homes with books, research shows, have much higher reading scores and go farther in the education system than others. But many children can’t get books at home because their families just don’t have the money or have other problems. The AFT partners with First Book to help reduce the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class students. First Book has distributed more than 90 million new books to children across the United States, many of whom could not afford them.

For the fourth year in a row, the Musical Artists (AGMA) will be holding a benefit concert to help cover basic living expenses for artists who are in severe financial need. The concert will feature members of the Washington National Opera Chorus and will take place Jan. 20 at 4 p.m., at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. AGMA represents vocalists, dancers and opera and ballet production staff.

Union members are working to keep area residents warm this winter with Brown County United Way and the Greater Green Bay Labor Council Community Services Committee. The two groups are hosting the second annual Blanketing Brown County drive, collecting new and gently used blankets for distribution to area shelters and agencies. Blanketing Brown County begins today and continues through Jan. 29.

In March 2012, the AFT helped lead a public-private partnership to help struggling McDowell County, W.Va., and the participants were hopeful that things could be turned around economically and educationally. A year later, the Reconnecting McDowell project has begun to show that investment in communities can change people's lives.

The UAW has a long history of its members serving in the military. More than 5,000 active duty reservists and veterans work at General Motors (GM) plants all over the United States. This is why GM and the UAW teamed up to donate five Chevrolet mobility vans to help veterans with disabilities get around in their communities. Watch the video from GM (below) for the whole story. 

It's incredibly hard for restaurant owners to take the day off, especially around the holidays. But Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 141 made that possible for the owner of the Mill Town Café in Green Bay, Wis., who needed time off to receive a bone marrow transplant the Friday before Christmas. 

While John Boehner and his allies in the U.S. House of Representatives play politics with aid to families whose lives were shattered by Superstorm Sandy, numerous unions have stepped up to provide money and supplies to those in need. Here are a few examples of how unions are helping families recover from the storm's devastation.

The South Central Federation of Labor in Wisconsin collected $445 in gas cards and bus cards to donate to the Community Action Coalition, which provides case management for families struggling to become self-sufficient.

Think union members only care about other union members?

Go see Jimmy Evans, training director at Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 816 apprenticeship school in Paducah, Ky.

OK, it might be hard to see him. A mini-mountain of canned goods is rising in the hallway outside his office.

Pennsylvania union members were busy this holiday as they continued a 40-year tradition of filling stockings with sweet treats for children with special needs.