ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The United Way is launching an effort to recruit a million volunteers over the next three years to serve as readers, tutors and mentors in education.

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Alexandria-Based United Way Worldwide initiated the project as part of its goal to cut by half the number of young people who drop out of high school.

The initiative began Tuesday in the nation's capital with more than a thousand volunteers on the National Mall in Washington assembling 50,000 summer reading backpacks for elementary school children.

Target Corp. and the Annie E. Casey Foundation are also sponsoring the recruitment effort.