The NY Giants and the NFL have advocated 60 minutes of activity a day for kids across America to promote physical fitness.
Now, the team is adding education to that message.
The Giants with the help of running back Rashad Jennings are teaming up with NFL veteran and NY Times Bestselling author, Tim Green to do their first ever Play60/Read20 event on September 30 at the Berkeley School in Bloomfield, NJ, from 1 – 3 p.m.
Berkeley was the perfect school to kickoff this initiative since a majority of the students are Hispanic and the event coincides with the Giants Hispanic Heritage Month.
After experiencing the NFL’s Play60 activities with Rashad and Tim, Berkeley’s 6th graders will head to the school library to Read20. Rashad and Tim will alternate reading the first few chapters of Green’s latest middle grade novel, FIRST TEAM, then talk to the kids about the importance of reading to build academic strength and character. Each of the 6th grade students will receive their own copy of FIRST TEAM, (9780062208750; on-sale: 9/30/14; $16.99; ages 8 – 12).
After studying writing at Syracuse University where he was an All American football player, Tim was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he was a top defensive player for eight years.
While Tim played in the NFL, he also studied law and began his writing career.
By the time he retired from football in 1994, Tim had already published his first book and become a lawyer. In addition to those two jobs, he began working as a television broadcaster for FOX NFL Sunday and other shows, including Battlebots, Good Morning America, Court TV, A Current Affair, and most recently, Find My Family.
After writing more than a dozen books for adults, Tim began writing a series of novels for young readers set in a world of sports taken from his own experiences as an athlete and a coach.
In the meantime, Tim has visited more than 800 schools and spoken to more than 400,000 students across the United States about the importance of education and character, in addition to the joys and benefits of reading.
Among those appearances have been visits to schools in Fulton, Mexico, and others in Oswego County.
Tim serves on the board of the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, as well as the National Writing Project. He lives with his wife, Illyssa, their five kids, and two dogs in Upstate New York. When Tim isn’t writing, he enjoys boating, fishing, hunting, reading, and spending time with his family and friends.
He calls reading “Weight Lifting for Your Brain.” “I’m thrilled that Rashad and the New York Giants are supporting the addition of Read20,” said Green. “As a former pro athlete, I know how important it is to have a strong educational foundation for later in life, and this program exemplifies just that.” Green’s 13-book series, published by Harper Collins Children’s, has sold over one million copies to date.
The Rashad Jennings Foundation Mission: To inspire youth by making education fun, to provide mentorship for individual success, and to promote health and fitness worldwide. Rashad Jennings, who describes himself as an avid reader, realizes that one of the key reasons why his childhood dreams are a reality today is because, in his youth, someone cared enough to inspire him through education, provide him with mentorship for success, and encourage health and fitness as a way of life. These real-life experiences are what drive the Rashad Jennings Foundation; it is why we do what we do!
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