Keith Tandy, Eric Wright & Quincy Black at Tampa Bay Crestwood Elementary School

Scholastic Book Fairs had a pretty awesome week: they got to hang out with some NFL players, in addition to kids from across the country! Teryl McLane from Book Fairs is here to tell you about it. Thanks, Teryl!

“PLAY 60, READ 20.”  That was the playful theme of several recent visits by NFL players to six low-income elementary schools across the country. The events were a team effort between Scholastic Book Fairs and the NFL to celebrate the importance of physical fitness and reading during Hispanic Heritage Month.

NFL players from the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans joined parents, teachers and students at school-wide pep rallies, where they took time out to read to kids and talk about the importance of reading at home and the link between staying active and success in school – one of the key aims of the NFL PLAY 60 campaign is to get kids to exercise 60 minutes a day.

Helping students score big with books and reading is our main goal at Scholastic, and the “PLAY 60, READ 20” rallies are an exciting way to motivate and reinforce the importance of reading practice. Just like a football player practices every day, kids need to practice reading every day because, like any other skill, you only get better at reading by reading. We also know that healthy kids are more focused and engaged and do better in school.

Read & Rise kickoff at Crestwood Elementary School in Tampa!

After the school assemblies and player visits, every student received a $5 Reading Certificate, compliments of the NFL teams, to use toward the purchase of a book at a Scholastic Read and Rise® Book Fair.  The gift certificates were a great help for these schools, which are located in underserved areas where more than 95% of the children qualify for free or reduced cost lunch and many families are homeless. For these students, the Book Fair provides access to a wide variety of rich and current reading material, the chance to self-select books, and the opportunity to own books…all of which leads to more voluntary reading and greater academic success, as research has shown time and again.

Meeting real-life NFL players and hearing their hometown heroes talk about their own love for reading is something these students will remember for a long time. And that’s why we’re so proud to partner with the NFL to promote healthy habits and inspire students to keep reading and achieving. Because when kids are healthy, active and reading, we know they’re going to be more successful at school and in life. And that’s a win that everyone can celebrate.
You can see some more photos and additional media coverage of the various NFL events across the country — here, here, and here!