News Release

Houston Astros Celebrate NEA's Read Across America

Day at the ballpark provides reading fun and inspiration for local students

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Reading was the big game in town today as baseball players of the Houston Astros welcomed more than 125 local elementary students to celebrate the National Education Association’s Read Across America program.

NEA’s Read Across America, originally created nine years ago as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on the birthday of beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss, has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day of the year.  Enlisting the help of professional athletes, Read Across America has become the nation’s largest reading celebration with more than 45 million children and adults participating annually.

“We want to deliver the important message that kids who read—and are read to—do better in school and in life,” said NEA President Reg Weaver.  “Read Across America is instrumental because it shows kids that reading is fun and exciting.”

Houston Astros Steve Sparks, Chad Qualls and Fernando Nieve read Dr. Seuss classics in both Spanish and English to students from Thacker Elementary School at Osceola County Stadium here in Kissimmee where the Astros are spending their spring training.

“We’re pleased that these athletes, teams and schools are serving as excellent role models for students,” said Michael Marks, a high school drama teacher who sits on the nine-member NEA Executive Committee.  “As educators, we know athletes make that very important connection with children—especially older students—to show them reading can be fun and exciting.  Their participation in Read Across America reminds children and adults that reading is an essential skill for success at any level of play.”

The Houston Astros event follows on the footsteps of a successful weeklong “Cat-A-Van” tour through four Gulf Coast states that covered more than 2,700 miles, delivered approximately 14,000 books to school libraries, and visited more than 20,000 schoolchildren. One of the Cat-A-Van tours kicked off in Beaumont, Texas, and traveled through the Houston area to deliver books to children who were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

During the 2006 Reading Tour, NEA’s Read Across America joined forces with NEA’s Books Across America—a nationwide program launched last month and aimed at providing books to public schools and students in need—to deliver a much needed supply of new books and money to more than 40 public schools in more than 26 Gulf Coast cities.  Book donations were made possible by the generous donations of The Heart of America Foundation and First Book, partner organizations of the new Books Across America program.

“Gulf Coast public school libraries are still in desperate need of new books and supplies, six months after the devastating hurricanes,” said Weaver.  “Bringing books back to these schools and students who have lost so much is a top priority for NEA.  We are engaging our 2.8 million members and people nationwide to do everything they can to help rebuild Gulf Coast public school libraries.”

NEA’s efforts to restock Gulf Coast public libraries will continue beyond its 2006 Reading Tour.  Millions of individuals nationwide are expected to join the program by donating money and new books, fundraising, organizing book drives and volunteering their time to deliver books.

For more information about the Reading Tour, Books Across America and NEA’s Read Across America Day activities and events, visit www.nea.org/readacross and www.nea.org/booksacross .

March 8, 2006

For More Information, Contact:

Staci Maiers , NEA Public Relations, (202) 270-5333

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.