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Go Shockers - Coaching for Literacy Game Scheduled for Feb. 8
#Fightforliteracy
Good cause. Bad team may hamper donations and people paying attention.
WICHITA, Kan. — Every year college basketball coaching staffs, athletes and fans across the country participate in the Coaching for Literacy initiative to address an alarming national problem. Two in three American 3rd graders can't read proficiently. Illiterate children become illiterate adults, and studies show that 43% will end up living in poverty because of their struggles with reading.
Thirty teams will participate this year in the Coaching for Literacy program by designating a home game to #Fightforliteracy and encouraging their fans to donate in support of a local reading program. Wichita State University and the men's basketball team have participated in the program for the past several years and have had a positive impact through a partnership with United Way of the Plains and Wichita Public Schools.
This year's annual Shocker #Fight4Literacy game will be held on Feb. 8, when the Shocker men's basketball team plays UCF. 100% of donations will stay local with United Way of the Plains to support literacy programs in Title I elementary schools in the Shocker neighborhood. The funds will be used to provide books with diverse characters to children from kindergarten through third grade and to enhance the ongoing Read to Succeed tutoring program. Volunteer reading coaches in the Read to Succeed program meet weekly with students in Wichita Public Schools for 30 minutes to listen to them read and help improve their reading skills.
Donations are already underway at unitedwayplains.org/literacy where fans can track the team's #GiveLiteracy progress to see how they're performing against other colleges. The first $5,000 donated will be matched by presenting sponsor International Paper, doubling the impact of every gift received.
WSU fans have been among the top #Fight4Literacy donors raising around $30,000 per year in donations and matching funds the last two years. Abel Frederic, vice president of Community Impact for United Way of the Plains, hopes to see donations increase in 2023.
Thirty teams will participate this year in the Coaching for Literacy program by designating a home game to #Fightforliteracy and encouraging their fans to donate in support of a local reading program. Wichita State University and the men's basketball team have participated in the program for the past several years and have had a positive impact through a partnership with United Way of the Plains and Wichita Public Schools.
This year's annual Shocker #Fight4Literacy game will be held on Feb. 8, when the Shocker men's basketball team plays UCF. 100% of donations will stay local with United Way of the Plains to support literacy programs in Title I elementary schools in the Shocker neighborhood. The funds will be used to provide books with diverse characters to children from kindergarten through third grade and to enhance the ongoing Read to Succeed tutoring program. Volunteer reading coaches in the Read to Succeed program meet weekly with students in Wichita Public Schools for 30 minutes to listen to them read and help improve their reading skills.
Donations are already underway at unitedwayplains.org/literacy where fans can track the team's #GiveLiteracy progress to see how they're performing against other colleges. The first $5,000 donated will be matched by presenting sponsor International Paper, doubling the impact of every gift received.
WSU fans have been among the top #Fight4Literacy donors raising around $30,000 per year in donations and matching funds the last two years. Abel Frederic, vice president of Community Impact for United Way of the Plains, hopes to see donations increase in 2023.
Good cause. Bad team may hamper donations and people paying attention.