With summer ready to kick into full swing, the Ballard Boys and Girls Club has partnered with the Seattle Storm to encourage kids to continue reading this summer vacation with its Read to Achieve program.

Read to Achieve is a year-round, league-wide initiative supported by all 30 NBA teams, 13 WNBA teams, and six NBDL teams that promotes the value of reading and online literacy and encourages families and adults to read regularly with young children. 

The Storm sponsors an incentive-based program designed to encourage Boys and Girls Club students in grades one through eight to develop strong reading skills.

To kick-off the program, Storm guard Tanisha Wright made an appearance June 25 at the Ballard Boys and Girls Club to read “Roar,” by Pamela Duncan Edwards to more than 50 kids.

“They (kids) have a set of ideas of who we are as people,” Wright said. “We’re put up on this pedestal. For the kids to be able to meet us and talk to us and touch us is great. That’s the best part.”

After reading to the kids, Wright then gave them the opportunity to ask questions about playing for the Storm, signed bookmarks, gave out Storm tickets, books, shirts and even shared with them her favorite book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
 
“With the Storm playing in the summer it creates a unique platform for them to say, ‘Hey how about for a month in July we kind of do some sort of promotion to get kids to read on their own,’” said Billy Rodgers, executive director at Ballard Boys and Girls Club. 

For 20 days in July, kids who are involved in day camps, sports camps, activities or just dropping in at the club are encouraged to read for 20 minutes or more. 

“This is a perfect tie in with what the Storm is doing because you keep track of how much you’ve read on a chart and once you reach that you receive a voucher for a Storm ticket for their August 25 game," Rodgers said.

The Storm has donated incentives, such as tickets, T-shirts, posters and more that kids will earn once they've achieved their reading minutes.

Rodgers said the Ballard Boys and Girls Club is looking to strike a balance between outdoor activities and encouraging kids to read, which gets a little tougher with school out for the season.

"I like reading because I can think that I'm in the story--that I'm the main character," said Alex Putnam, 10, who attended the kick-off.

A few years ago the Storm and Sonics helped fund the Ballard Boys and Girls Club reading and learning center, and also helped get the organization books and shelves.

Rodgers said the Storm has made a commitment to come back to the club every year to encourage reading.

“It kind of makes for a unique program and it’s fun, he said. “The ladies are really supportive of reading and for the kids it’s great that it’s built into the programs here and it’s just neat to see a professional athlete.”