Screen Actors Guild Foundation today will launch Storyline Online, an on-line streaming video program featuring SAG members reading children's books aloud, in a ceremony at 9:15 a.m. PDT at Stoner Avenue Elementary School in Culver City. The program is made possible by a $100,000 grant from Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications. Storyline's initial line-up is comprised of readings from Sean Astin (Lord Of The Rings), Amanda Bynes (WB's What I Like About You, Big Fat Liar), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm In The Middle), Tia and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing). The program is geared towards elementary school age children and offers books of various themes by award-winning authors.

Joining SAG Foundation Executive Director Marcia Smith at Storyline's inauguration will be SAG President Melissa Gilbert, SAG Foundation President Mitch Ryan (Dharma & Greg), Storyline reader Sean Astin, SAG National Recording Secretary Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven) and Verizon Pacific Region president Tim McCallion. Author Nina Laden, whose book "The Night I Followed The Dog" is one of the featured Storyline titles, will also be present.

"The SAG Foundation thanks Verizon for their generous underwriting of Storyline and is proud to bring the gift of storytelling to millions of children," said Smith.

SAG Foundation is the charitable arm of the Screen Actors Guild offering financial, health and education assistance to SAG members. It has reached the community at large with its nationally recognized BookPALS program for which SAG members lend their talents of book reading to children in schools. Since its inception, BookPALS has garnered enormous success and provided literacy opportunities to millions of children. An extension of BookPALS is Storyline Audio, a program which provides children access to books that are read aloud by SAG members via a local 24-hour telephone service. Storyline Online enhances this program with video. Hand-picked by BookPALS National Program Director Ellen Nathan, a former teacher and librarian, each of the books for Storyline Online offer an accompanying lesson plan and activity guide and are available 24 hours online at http://www.bookpals.net/storyline.

The complete list of Storyline's initial installments are:

• "No Mirrors in My Nana's House" by Ysaye M. Barnwell Read by Tia & Tamera Mowry
  
• "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge" by Mem Fox Read by Bradley Whitford
  
• "The Night I Followed the Dog" by Nina Laden Read by Amanda Bynes
  
• "Thank You, Mr. Falker" by Patricia Polacco Read by Jane Kaczmarek
  
• "A Bad Case of Stripes" by David Shannon Read by Sean Astin