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SAL1 Greenville Drive

Drive Reading All-Stars Program Impacts Record Numbers

August 25, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, SC - The Greenville Drive announced the successful completion of its 2011 Summer Reading All-Stars Program, sponsored by Michelin North America and conducted in cooperation with the Greenville and Pickens County Library Systems. Over 16,000 summer readers participated across these county's branch libraries and community outreach centers, with 7,600 plus children and teens reaching their library's top level of accomplishment and qualifying as a Drive Reading All Star.

This summer's Drive Reading All Stars will be recognized and celebrated at Fluor Field prior to and during the 4:00 PM game on Sunday August 28th and also the 7:00 PM game on Monday, August 29th. Qualifying readers were awarded a voucher redeemable for a ticket to either game, where they will be given a Reading All Stars t-shirt and march in a pregame parade around the field. Reading All Stars will also have the chance to take part in the between inning games and entertainment which will focus on the fun of reading and education.

The Drive Reading All Stars program, a popular reading initiative with public schools across the Upstate since 2008, is currently in its 3rd year of increasingly successful use by the Greenville County Library System. The Library's Youth Services Manager, Karen Allen, remarked on the program's 2011 results, saying, "We've had phenomenal results this year. The number of readers who participated was up by 7%, with the number of readers reaching the top Reading All Stars challenge increasing by 50%, and the top achievers from our Outreach Programs moving up by a remarkable 82%!"

Flo Omotosho, Reading Consultant for the Library's Outreach Program across Greenville County attributes much of the program's success to the fact that Drive players and mascot Reedy Rip'It visited a number of the Community Centers during July and August to interact with the children and teens and encourage them to read and do well in school. "Having the Drive team come out and spend time with our youngsters was really wonderful! The kids were thrilled to get up close and connect with these "stars", and their message about the importance of reading and education was very motivational."

Drive President and Co-Owner, Craig Brown, commented on the Reading All Stars continued success, saying, "The need to find new and effective ways to motivate young people to do well in school and to raise the bar for education success is a goal our entire region is challenged to meet. The Drive is grateful to have partners like Michelin, North America and the Upstate's Library and School District's support in bringing the excitement and appeal of professional sports to the cause of making education more important and meaningful to our students."

Michelin North America has been the title sponsor of the Drive Reading All-Stars Program since its inception in 2008. Herb Johnson, director of community relations for Michelin North America, noted, "Initiatives like the Drive Reading All-Stars Program are just what our students need to develop a solid foundation of skills that will carry them on to future academic success. Motivating students to read is an important community initiative and we are excited by what the youngsters have accomplished this summer. We look forward to celebrating at Fluor Field on the 28th and 29th.

The Greenville Drive is the South Atlantic League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Ticket plans, hospitality accommodations, group outings, and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling (864) 240-4500 or by visiting www.GreenvilleDrive.com.

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin-us.com) employs more than 21,400 and operates 18 major manufacturing plants in 16 locations.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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