Whitecaps Hard at Work Encouraging Children to Read

The West Michigan Whitecaps are a huge part of the West Michigan community. Not only do they provide exciting baseball and fun at Fifth Third Ballpark, but they created a community foundation to help answer needs in Greater Grand Rapids area, thus, encouraging children to read. 

The Whitecaps Community Foundation will donate 3,000 books to six West Michigan Public Schools this month because March is Reading Month.

The books were selected with the help of GRPS educators and will be delivered as a surprise to CA Frost Elementary and Grand Rapids Montessori on Friday, March 15. Then on Wednesday, March 20, MLK Jr. Elementary in Muskegon Heights and Aberdeen Elementary in Grand Rapids will receive the books. Lastly, on Thursday March 21st the Whitecaps Community Foundation will visit Southwest Community Campus and North Park Montessori.

These six schools were selected to receive the free books because of their designation as high priority elementary schools; many of their pupils do not have access to resources such as books. With this donation, every child at these six schools will receive one free book.

Children from West Michigan schools who read 15 minutes a day, during the month, can attend a Whitecaps game for free in April through June. Last year’s Reading Program had more than 67,000 K-6 area children participate from 322 schools. Nearly 19,000 complimentary tickets were given this season to children and their families in West Michigan.

For more information on the book deliveries please contact Mickey Graham at (616) 726-7067 and for information on the Whitecaps Community Foundation, including how to volunteer and/or donate, please visit www.whitecapscommunityfoundation.org.