[Note: Links and materials referenced in an archived posting may have expired.]

Red Sox Reading Game kicks off summer reading season

Red Sox star catcher Jason Varitek and Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, are teaming up to promote literacy through the MTA/Red Sox Reading Game.

As Verizon's Literacy Champion, Varitek will give thousands of students the chance to "read their way to Fenway" this summer.

"I look forward to working with the MTA and teachers across Massachusetts to promote this contest because reading makes everyone a champion," said Varitek. "As Verizon's Literacy Champion, I want to motivate kids to read during the summer.  As with baseball, it takes practice to be a good reader.  What better way to practice reading than learning about heroes like Jackie Robinson?  Whether you're playing baseball or going to school, reading makes you a winner."

Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America, written by Robinson's daughter, Sharon, is featured on this year's Jason Varitek Literacy Champion poster and bookmarks that promote the summer reading program.  The biography offers a glimpse into Jackie Robinson's family life before, during and after his first tumultuous days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, when he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
 
Seven hundred thousand bookmarks, which also serve as contest entry forms, and 30,000 Jason Varitek Verizon Literacy Champion posters featuring the MTA/Red Sox Reading, Game will be delivered statewide to MTA K-8 schools in May.  The Jason Varitek bookmarks and contest entry forms also provide a 10 percent discount on all summer book purchases at Borders Books. The contest is open to all K-8 students.  Children who read nine books, one for each position on the ball field, will be eligible to win free tickets to a September Red Sox Game at Fenway Park.

The summer reading contest is part of a broader literacy initiative called the Massachusetts Teachers Association/Boston Red Sox Reading Partnership.  Verizon funds the program with a $75,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation as part of its national Verizon Reads campaign to promote literacy and be America's literacy champion.

"We are excited about this partnership that combines America's pastime with summer reading to pitch literacy," said Dr. Charles Steinberg, executive vice president of public affairs for the Boston Red Sox.  "The participation of role models like Jason Varitek reminds children and adults that reading is essential for success and also is fun."

"In the four years since the contest started, students across Massachusetts pledged to read more than one million books as a direct result of the Verizon Literacy Champion campaign," said MTA President Catherine Boudreau.  "Reading opens the door to achievement, and the involvement of sports figures like Jason Varitek is crucial to making the joy of reading an integral part of every child's life."

Verizon Regional President Donna Cupelo said, "As a company that helps people make progress through communications, Verizon believes that no skill is more critical to the success of our children than reading.  That's why we're committed to being America's Literacy Champion and we're especially pleased that Jason Varitek is helping us hit home the literacy message."

In addition to the funding from the Verizon Foundation, the contest receives contributions from The Boston Globe, Staples, Saturn, Borders, Scholastic, and New England Cable News.  This summer, 100 students and their teachers each will win tickets to Fenway Park.  In addition, the contest will award $10,000 worth of gift certificates for school supplies and books.

 To learn more about the reading contest, visit readingmatters.org, an MTA Web site which focuses on the teaching and learning of reading, along with ways to help parents, teachers, and communities raise successful readers.