December 13, 2002 -- The Chicago Bulls and Fifth Third Bank hosted over 100 children for a holiday party at the Berto Center in Deerfield today as part of their ongoing Read To Achieve program. Bulls players Rick Brunson, Tyson Chandler, Marcus Fizer, Donyell Marshall and Roger Mason, Jr. led the festivities with assistance from All-Star Reading Team members John Paxson (Chicago Bulls), Bill Wennington (Chicago Bulls), Bob Love (Chicago Bulls), Bob Lapinski (Fifth Third Bank) and Tony Sculfield (WGCI-FM).

Tyson Chandler helps out one of the children at the holiday party as she works on a puzzle.

Over 100 children, ages 5 to 12 years, from North Suburban YMCA (Northbrook), Lawrence Hall Youth Services (Chicago) and Abraham Lincoln Centre (Chicago) heard the story Frosty the Snowman, played holiday literacy games and completed a winter craft with the help of their hosts. Each child had the opportunity to meet Santa Claus and received goodies, books and reading aids to take home to encourage reading throughout the year.

The Bulls and Fifth Third Bank launched the second season of the Read To Achieve program in October with the goal to inspire literacy by encouraging families and adults to read regularly with young children. The league-wide National Basketball Association initiative has been in operation by all 29 teams since the fall of 2001.

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.