Print
RSS 
Sign up for E-news
bobcats.com
August 20, 2008
that teaches kids the importance of reading.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
That quote issued by English Poet Joseph Addison over 200 years ago is still as relevant today as it was then.
Reading plays a critical role in achieving success. Because it is such an important skill, the Bobcats wanted to find a way to emphasize it to the children throughout the Charlotte region
To accomplish this goal, they enlisted the help of their energetic mascot Rufus Lynx.
With his crazy antics, boundless enthusiasm and endearing personality, Rufus was the perfect answer because of his unique ability to not only bring laughter to a child, but in the process teach them some important lessons.
To teach students about reading, Rufus devised a special Reading with Rufus Program. The 30-minute interactive program is designed specifically for elementary-age students.
“The Reading with Rufus Program is a great way for the Charlotte Bobcats to reinforce the importance of reading in a format that is fun, entertaining and educational,” remarked Bobcats Senior Vice President of Community Relations LaRita Barber. “Using our mascot, Rufus Lynx as an ambassador for literacy we are able to reach so many students, teachers and administrators with the positive message that reading is a gateway to success.”
Newell Elementary School in Charlotte was one of the places where Rufus and the Bobcats staff dropped by, presenting the program to the school’s third, fourth and fifth graders.
With the help of visual aids that featured several Bobcats players, the Bobcats staff spent a few minutes talking to the students about the five W’s of reading – who, what, where, when and why.
A quote from Sean May illustrated perfectly why students should read.
“Reading is a great way to gain knowledge,” he had said. “You can learn anything through books.”
The Bobcats staff ended their portion of the program with a challenge, encouraging the students to read at least 20 minutes a day.
Then it was time for the star of the show.
The lights dimmed and up on the screen a highlight video featuring Rufus began to play. Everyone laughed as the Bobcats furry orange mascot performed his trademark skits and they oohed and aahed over every dunk.
“Rufus, Rufus,” they cheered as the video ended.
Then, bursting though the doors, he came. Rufus had everyone clapping and moving as he danced and interacted with the students. The cheers became louder as he pulled a few teachers from the crowd to come up to the front and dance with him. One of those featured dancers was school psychologist, Joyce Ghant, who had a smile as big as those on the faces of her students as she got up and performed a few moves.
“That was the best part of my day, dancing with Rufus,” she said. “He’s great!”
Once everyone had settled back in their seats, Rufus shared his story about how he became an NBA mascot.
Growing up in the Southpaw area of Charlotte, Rufus was teased because he wasn’t like other Bobcats.
His dream though was to become an NBA mascot, so he ate healthy, got plenty of rest and studied hard, reading 20 minutes a day.
One day while visiting Time Warner Cable Arena, Rufus saw the NBA’s newest team, was looking for a mascot. Because Rufus had studied hard, he was ready when the opportunity came and he was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a mascot.
“It was great,” remarked Assistant Principal Will Gibson as he talked about how the program had affected his students. “They really got into and really enjoyed themselves, but mixed in there was the message of the love of the reading. That’s the way to get that message through, when they are excited and engaged and to hit them with that message is wonderful for these kids.”
The program is a great tool because it allows students to hear an important message from someone other than their teachers.
“It’s a big deal,” said Gibson. “It’s the same voice over and over in the classroom, but to hear it from someone else is very valuable. It gets them excited about the material, maybe more so than they would in the classroom.”
In the end, hopefully the program encourages students to pick up a book and read.
“It made me want to go home and read,” said Ghant. “I think it’s always exciting when a celebrity comes to school. When they see Rufus reading a book, even though he didn’t read out loud, it makes them want to read too.”
The Reading with Rufus program has been visiting schools since February. To date, the program has been presented at more than 30 schools and reached more than 6,000 kids.
To get more information on how your school can participate in the Reading with Rufus program, please click here.
Let us know what you think.
Send us your response to this article or video and we'll post it on bobcats.com using your selected screen name.
