FOURTH ANNUAL “COLLEGE SPIRIT DAY” TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, FOR READING TO KIDS 

LOS ANGELES, CA – It’s that time of year again, where passionate students and alumni come together to defend the honor and image of their schools in high-stakes competition.  If you’re thinking about football or basketball, think again.  Saturday, November 11, will mark the fourth annual College Spirit Day – a friendly competition put on by Reading to Kids – where schools compete to see which institution can garner up more volunteers to read for the grassroots children’s charity.

 “We’re coming off of some really well-attended reading clubs over the past few months, so we’re hoping College Spirit Day helps to preserve that momentum,” said Jessica Tritsch, program director, Reading to Kids.  “Many of our volunteers are college students, and once they meet the kids at these schools, they’re hooked.” 

For College Spirit Day, volunteers are asked to wear any clothing that bears the logo of their current school or Alma Mater.  The school with the most volunteers wearing colors is named the Reading to Kids College Spirit Day Champion.  UCLA won the competition the first two years, but last year Cal State Northridge (CSUN) delivered a surprise upset.  USC also posts a consistently fine showing, so you can be sure that several colleges and universities will try to step up and take the crown this year.

 “I’m talking to all of my friends to try to get them to come out for Reading to Kids,” said Jason Axe, Reading to Kids volunteer and UCLA graduate.  “There’s no way we’re taking second place this year.”

USC has been a close second place each year of the competition.  Other colleges and universities with impressive showings in the past include Stanford University, Pepperdine University, Berkeley and Loyola Marymount University. 

Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading – enriching their lives and opportunities in the future.  On the second Saturday of every month, Reading to Kids brings together a diverse group of volunteers from across Los Angeles to have a blast inspiring kids to read.

Volunteers gather at five elementary schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – Esperanza, Magnolia, Gratts, Hoover and the recently-added Leo Politi Elementary schools – where they read to kids from kindergarten through fifth grade, take part in a crafts activity, and interact with the kids and with each other.

“The competition is a fun way to get new volunteers out, but it’s not about who wins,” said Tritsch.  “The important thing as that people show up and show these kids that someone cares, and that they’re part of a larger community.”

For more information about Reading to Kids, or to sign up as a reader, please log on to our web site at www.readingtokids.org.