Feb. 21, 2017
Coaching for Literacy (CFL), Vanderbilt men’s basketball and head coach Bryce Drew partner together in the nationwide Fight for Literacy for the program’s fourth consecutive season.
Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew and the Vanderbilt Commodores will host a Coaching for Literacy Awareness Game on Saturday, February 25.
To promote literacy awareness in the community, the Vanderbilt coaching staff will wear green – the official color of the Fight for Literacy. The game will tip-off on February 25th at 3:00 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Coaching for Literacy works with sports teams nationwide to generate awareness about the importance of literacy and its impact on social issues such as employment, crime and poverty.
IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY
• 64% of fourth graders are reading below the proficient level. (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
• Literacy can help reduce the rate of crime in all of our communities. 85% of juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system cannot read. (US Department of Justice)
• Three out of four people on welfare cannot read. (Literacy Project Foundation)
• 32 million adults in America are illiterate, which is 14% of the population. (US Department of Education)
JOIN THE COMMODORES IN THE FIGHT FOR LITERACY
Vanderbilt Athletics welcome all fans to support literacy awareness by following Coaching for Literacy on Twitter @coachingforlit and using the hashtag #Commodores4Literacy.
“We are very excited to partner again with Coaching for Literacy in the Fight for Literacy,” said Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew. “This is Vanderbilt’s fourth year to support Coaching for Literacy and the impact in Nashville continues to grow.”
To learn more about how you can join the Commodores in the Fight for Literacy in your community, visit www.coachingforliteracy.org. To view CFL’s schedule this season, visit www.coachingforliteracy.org/schedule.
LAST YEAR’S SUCCESS
Thanks to the support of Vanderbilt Athletics and generous CFL donors last season, Book’em gave 112 Nashville students 560 books to take home and provided 35 visits from trained reading instructors. In low-income areas, there is one grade-appropriate book for every 300 kids (Handbook of Early Literacy Research).
“We are incredibly grateful for Coaching for Literacy’s support over these past four years,” said Melissa Spradlin, executive director of Book’em. “We have watched our students directly benefit from their donations, improving their reading skills each year.”
ABOUT COACHING FOR LITERACY
Thanks to the support of sports teams and generous donors, Coaching for Literacy has funded over 50 literacy projects across 20 communities in 11 states. To date 7,610 children have received direct literacy support because of the program.
“Vanderbilt Athletics has been one of the leaders in our nationwide effort,” said Ryan Viner, executive director of Coaching for Literacy. “Due to the involvement of the Vanderbilt coaching staff, we have been able to create valuable awareness among the general public and brighter futures for children in Nashville.”
