Players Combine Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Party with a Lesson on Good Sportsmanship
Detroit Pistons Read to Achieve with Flint Community School Students at Potter Elementary School on March 12, 2002
Auburn Hills, MI...March 5, 2002 - Detroit Pistons Players Victor Alexander & Dana Barros will don Cat In The Hat hats and host a birthday party for Dr. Seuss with community leaders and 300 elementary students at Potter Elementary School in Flint (2500 N. Averill Avenue) as part of the Detroit Pistons' Read To Achieve initiative on March 12, 2002 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The players will talk to the students about the importance of reading and good sportsmanship to promote appreciation for the critical role that reading, ethics, honesty, peaceful conflict resolution, and fairness play in athletics and life. The students will each receive a Cat In The Hat hat and a gift bag of books, stickers and a bookmark to take home.
Read To Achieve All Star Reading Team members scheduled to join the Detroit Pistons in Flint include:
Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm
Felix Chow, Superintendent, Flint Community Schools
Linda Caine-Smith, Deputy Superintendent, Flint Community Schools
Deanna Nolan, Detroit Shock WNBA Player
Detroit Pistons Mascot Hooper
George Blaha, Pistons Broadcaster
Brenda Brissette-Mata, Flint Journal Columnist
Rickey Hampton, Flint Journal Columnist
Andrew Heller, Flint Journal Columnist
Bradford Barksdale, Flint Police Chief
A. Sherrod Blakely, Booth Newspapers NBA Reporter
Michael J. Thorp, WJRT-TV Anchor
Scot Johnson, Sports Director, WEYI-TV
Read To Achieve is designed to promote reading and literacy to children and families in Michigan. The goal is to instill a life-long love of reading in young people, and to provide greater access to books and technology in our community. The Read To Achieve initiative was launched at The Palace of Auburn Hills in October with the entire Pistons squad, 250 elementary students, and luminary members of the All Star Reading Team including Aretha Franklin, Judge Greg Mathis and gospel star Carvin Winans.
The Flint event is one of a series of Read To Achieve events coordinated by the Detroit Pistons this NBA season. Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Curry and Chucky Atkins joined 200 Detroit Public School students at the Detroit Historical Museum for a reading and Black History Month celebration. Students from Pontiac celebrated Black History Month with Rodney White and Damon Jones at The Palace. In January, Brian Cardinal and Dana Barros took the All Star Reading Team to Avondale elementary students at Grant Graham Elementary in Auburn Hills. In December, Detroit Pistons players treated 300 children to a holiday reading party and a private screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Star Theatre of Southfield.
Other Read to Achieve programs include a reading incentive program called “Pistons Pages,” and the renovation of a community reading and learning center at the PAL (Police Athletic League) facility in Detroit, and a book drive. Coca Cola, Nike, and Ticketmaster, are sponsors of the Pistons’ Read To Achieve program.
Detroit Pistons' community relations is committed to building positive relationships in southeastern Michigan in order to promote corporate and philanthropic growth. Its goal is to make a difference in the lives of youth and families through programs and activities that promote respect, teamwork, excellence and integrity. The department also directs The Pistons-Palace Foundation, the organization's charitable vehicle that has donated more than $15 million to various Michigan non-profit organizations since 1989. The Foundation awards grants to organizations that offer programs that address issues of athletics, health & fitness, culture & arts, education, and personal & professional development.
Read To Achieve All Star Reading Team members scheduled to join the Detroit Pistons in Flint include:
Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm
Felix Chow, Superintendent, Flint Community Schools
Linda Caine-Smith, Deputy Superintendent, Flint Community Schools
Deanna Nolan, Detroit Shock WNBA Player
Detroit Pistons Mascot Hooper
George Blaha, Pistons Broadcaster
Brenda Brissette-Mata, Flint Journal Columnist
Rickey Hampton, Flint Journal Columnist
Andrew Heller, Flint Journal Columnist
Bradford Barksdale, Flint Police Chief
A. Sherrod Blakely, Booth Newspapers NBA Reporter
Michael J. Thorp, WJRT-TV Anchor
Scot Johnson, Sports Director, WEYI-TV
Read To Achieve is designed to promote reading and literacy to children and families in Michigan. The goal is to instill a life-long love of reading in young people, and to provide greater access to books and technology in our community. The Read To Achieve initiative was launched at The Palace of Auburn Hills in October with the entire Pistons squad, 250 elementary students, and luminary members of the All Star Reading Team including Aretha Franklin, Judge Greg Mathis and gospel star Carvin Winans.
The Flint event is one of a series of Read To Achieve events coordinated by the Detroit Pistons this NBA season. Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Curry and Chucky Atkins joined 200 Detroit Public School students at the Detroit Historical Museum for a reading and Black History Month celebration. Students from Pontiac celebrated Black History Month with Rodney White and Damon Jones at The Palace. In January, Brian Cardinal and Dana Barros took the All Star Reading Team to Avondale elementary students at Grant Graham Elementary in Auburn Hills. In December, Detroit Pistons players treated 300 children to a holiday reading party and a private screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Star Theatre of Southfield.
Other Read to Achieve programs include a reading incentive program called “Pistons Pages,” and the renovation of a community reading and learning center at the PAL (Police Athletic League) facility in Detroit, and a book drive. Coca Cola, Nike, and Ticketmaster, are sponsors of the Pistons’ Read To Achieve program.
Detroit Pistons' community relations is committed to building positive relationships in southeastern Michigan in order to promote corporate and philanthropic growth. Its goal is to make a difference in the lives of youth and families through programs and activities that promote respect, teamwork, excellence and integrity. The department also directs The Pistons-Palace Foundation, the organization's charitable vehicle that has donated more than $15 million to various Michigan non-profit organizations since 1989. The Foundation awards grants to organizations that offer programs that address issues of athletics, health & fitness, culture & arts, education, and personal & professional development.
