January 15, 2003 -- Bulls players Jalen Rose, Jay Williams, Jamal Crawford, Eddie Robinson and Lonny Baxter visited over 70 seventh and eighth graders at Suder Elementary School (Chicago) today to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As part of their ongoing Read To Achieve program the Bulls coordinated the event in conjunction with the national holiday of Dr. King’s birthday.

The Suder students listened to classmates recite Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech before creating a visual timeline of his life with the assistance of the Bulls representatives. The timeline highlighted events from his birth in 1929 to his assassination in 1968 and the many contributions he made in the area of civil rights.

As part of their year-long Read To Achieve program, the Bulls host frequent reading events for local children, build a reading and learning center in the Chicago area, distribute 5,000 books locally, host a book drive and coordinate a spelling bee for Chicagoland students. As part of the program, the Bulls have enlisted the support of a 25-member All-Star Reading Team including players and their relatives, Chicago dignitaries, local media members and Bulls and NBA representatives. Fifth Third Bank is the official sponsor of the 2002-03 literacy program.

Members of the Bulls 2002-03 All-Star Reading Team include Bulls players Marcus Fizer, Fred Hoiberg, Roger Mason, Jr., Jalen Rose and Jay Williams; Fifth Third Bank representative Bob Lapinski; Bulls representatives John Paxson, Bob Love, Bill Wennington, Tom Dore, Althea Williams, Marsha Mason-Wonsley and Carol Hoiberg; local dignitaries Mayor Richard M. Daley, Mary Dempsey, Arne Duncan and Stedman Graham; NBA referee James Capers; and media members Eric Ferguson, Kathy Hart, Cortney Hicks, Dan Roan, Robin Robinson, Jim Rose and Tony Sculfield.