FastBreak Foundation Celebrates Read to Achieve Month
For Immediate Release
Monday, March 4, 2013
FastBreak Foundation Celebrates Read to Achieve Month
Month Highlighted by Wolves Players and Staff Combining to Read to More Than 3,000 Local Elementary Students
Minneapolis/St. Paul For the month of March, the Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation will turn its focus towards helping children develop a lifelong love of reading. The Foundation's Read to Achieve Month, presented by Travelers, is designed to put books in the hands of children and offer them incentives to keep reading. The March schedule of events is highlighted by several Reading Timeouts at area schools, including a staff-wide effort on the part of all Timberwolves/Lynx employees to read to students in the Twin Cities area. The FastBreak Foundation is proud to be supported by the Roger and Nancy McCabe Foundation.
"A love for reading is one of the most important gifts we can give to a child," Timberwolves President Chris Wright said. "So we're excited to have our players and staff engaged in all the wonderful events and activities surrounding Read to Achieve Month."
Grant Presentations
Read to Achieve Month will tip off tonight during the Wolves/Heat game when the FastBreak Foundation will award a $2,500 grant to Neighborhood House. A $2,500 grant will be awarded to AVID during the March 6th Wolves/Wizards game and a $5,000 grant will be presented to Northern Voices at the March 10th Wolves/Mavericks game.
The Neighborhood House mission is to help people, families and organizations develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive in diverse communities. A vital component in achieving this mission is the Neighborhood House Family and Child Education Program which creates a positive, nurturing environment for multi-cultural, multi-lingual children and their parents/caregivers, focused on childrens literacy and school readiness.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase school-wide learning and performance.
Northern Voices is a center for young children with hearing loss that enables students to communicate through the use of spoken language, and helps families prepare their children to reach their full potential.
Heroes in the Making
At select home games throughout Read to Achieve Month, the FastBreak Foundation will recognize local "Heroes in the Making." The Foundation has identified individuals and organizations that are focusing on helping children develop a lifelong love of reading.
Reading Timeouts - March 5 and March 11
The FastBreak Foundation and Travelers will host three Reading Timeouts featuring during March. On March 5, Wolves players Greg Stiemsma and Derrick Williams, mascot Crunch and a Wolves broadcaster will read to students at Soujourner Truth Academy in Minneapolis. Later that day, Wolves player Chase Budinger, mascot Crunch and a Wolves broadcaster will read to students at Lucy Craft Laney School in Minneapolis. On March 11, a Wolves player and mascot Crunch will host a book report review session with AVID students at a St. Paul school.
All-Staff Reading Timeouts - March 14
On March 14, members of the Timberwolves/Lynx staff will read at local elementary schools. The goal of the staff-wide reading campaign is to commit more than 120 volunteer hours to the program while reaching more than 3,000 students. Each classroom the Wolves/Lynx employees visit will receive books and various prizes.
Read to Achieve Night - March 24
The Timberwolves game vs. Chicago on March 24 (6:00 p.m. tip) has been designated as Read to Achieve Night, as the Wolves will welcome thousands of young readers to Target Center. Every student who completed the Wolves' Starting Five reading incentive program will receive a free ticket to this game, and the top-three overall readers and top classroom in terms of pages read will be recognized in an on-court presentation.
Read to Achieve is the Timberwolves and the NBAs year-round literacy program that helps young people develop a lifelong love of reading, and encourages adults to read regularly with children. Reaching an estimated 50 million children a year, Read to Achieve is the most extensive educational outreach initiative in the history of professional sports.
About Travelers
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. The company's diverse business lines offer its global customers a wide range of coverage sold primarily through independent agents and brokers. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers has more than 30,000 employees and operations in the United States and selected international markets. The company generated revenues of approximately $26 billion in 2012. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.
About the FastBreak Foundation
The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation provides and supports hands-on programs that positively impact Minnesota youth. Through giving, education and basketball opportunities, the Foundation enables young people to make responsible decisions, contribute to their futures, and experience lifelong memories. In the past year, the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation and the Minnesota Lynx Foundation have combined to impact 2,146 organizations with $842,790 in in-kind donations, 20,000 Tickets for Kids donations, 3,107 volunteer hours, 53 community members honored on-court, and 15 grants distributed.
Contact information:
Mike Cristaldi, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-8405, cristaldi@timberwolves.com
Aaron Seehusen, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-1602, seehusen@timberwolves.com
Dan Bell, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-1603, bell@timberwolves.com
