BATON ROUGE- LSU athletes spread out to four local elementary schools to read children’s books in celebration of National Read Across America Day.
Hunter Kinchen and Alex Russian (Football), coach Paul Mainieri, Matty Ott and Austin Nola (Baseball), Ashley Applegate (Softball), Tim Landry, Katie Carroll, Michelle Mobley and Brianne Bergeron (Track & Field), Tessa Teachman (Golf) and Kaelee Mader, Audrey Lawson, Laust Helmig and Brooke Barnett (Swimming & Diving) all volunteered their time for the event.
“It was a great experience to spread the joy of reading with school children in Baton Rouge,” Lawson said.
The student-athletes read Dr. Seuss books in dedication to the late author at Pecan Grove Primary, Polk Elementary, the Dunham School and Buchanan Elementary.
“We got the opportunity to read classic books to show the kids how important reading is to them and their future,” Mader said.
The National Education Association started Read Across America in May 1997. The event is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss.
The athletes responded positively to the event and were eager to share the stories they grew up reading.
“I always love the opportunity to read to kids,” Teachman said. “I love being able to share stories with them, and being able to participate in Read Across America Day is something I look forward to each year.”