The Houston Rockets Read to Achieve Program presented by H-E-B

Yao Ming teaches youngsters about the importance of reading, health, and nutrition

Houston -Houston Rockets center Yao Ming teamed up with H-E-B on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at H-E-B’s Bunker Hill location to teach students from Shadow Oak Elementary about the importance of reading, health and nutrition. The outing was one in a series of “Reading Timeouts,” each consisting of a Houston Rockets player or representative joining a group of young children in an educational setting to read with them. These small events are paired with a city-wide reading challenge amongst Houston-area elementary schools to make up the Houston Rockets Read to Achieve program presented by H-E-B. At this particular “Reading Timeout,” Yao Ming assisted the students in reading Tommy the Tomato, a children’s book that helps educate kids about different types of fruit and vegetables by highlighting the benefits of eating them. Many of the students from Shadow Oak Elementary consider English as their second language and are enrolled in programs that help them work on their English skills. Yao Ming was able to relate to these youngsters very well while showing off his own desire to learn, as English is not his first language either.

Through the Read to Achieve program presented by H-E-B, the Houston Rockets and H-E-B help promote the value of reading and online literacy, as well as encouraging families and adults to read regularly with young children. Locally, the Houston Rockets and H-E-B host Read to Achieve through a variety of programs designed to be easily implemented into the classroom and support existing school curriculum.

H-E-B’s commitment to education, hunger prevention, disaster relief, health, diversity, volunteerism and the environment, coupled with its corporate giving philosophy, has been recognized as an important part of the way the company does business. H-E-B donates five percent of its pre-tax earnings annually to charitable organizations that are committed to making a positive difference in Texas communities. In addition to providing food to those in need, H-E-B encourages excellence in teaching and learning. H-E-B created the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 as a positive way to support public education in Texas. It has grown to become the largest monetary recognition program for educators in the state and one of the largest in the nation, awarding more than $600,000 in cash prizes each year.

Please see other community efforts by the Houston Rockets and their partners by clicking here.