"Rush to Read" a Grand Success
Published on June 3, 2002 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release
June 3, 2002 - "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."-- Mark Twain
Noting a decline in reading among elementary school kids in the Chicago Public School system, schools CEO Arnie Duncan was looking for a program to encourage reading among eighth graders at the city's elementary schools.
It took just one phone call between Duncan and Rush senior vice president/general manager Mike Polisky to create the "Rush to Read" program.
"We wanted to make an impact on the community," said Polisky. "Our goal was to spark an interest in reading outside the classroom, and we couldn't be more pleased with the results."
The parameters of the program were simple: students were asked to read a total of four extra books during the four-month period of February through May. Once a book was finished, students would write a one-page report describing the book. As their incentive, students who completed the program would receive complimentary tickets to a 2002 Chicago Rush home game.
Within a week of the program's introduction, nearly 120 CPS elementary schools had signed up to participate. And, as word spread about the "Rush to Read" program, 28 more schools from the suburbs asked if they could be included. This brought the first-year program's total to 148 schools and more than 8,000 students.
As the program now nears its completion, thousands of students soon will be receiving tickets to any Rush home game this summer.
"This is by far the most successful reading incentive program we have ever had," said Kris Schumacher, principal of Cumberland Elementary School in Des Plaines. "The students were really excited about it."
So excited, in fact, that 190 of the school's students completed the program.
The success at Cumberland was repeated in elementary schools across the Chicago Public School system.
"The program definitely sparked some interest in the children," said Edward Ruyack, principal at Coonley Elementary on the city's North Side. "We feel it had a positive affect on the students."
As the program totals roll in, the story is the same across the city. From schools on the city's North Side to the far South Side, "Rush to Read" helped spark an interest in reading.
In addition to the complimentary tickets, Rush players, coaches and staff visited 20 of the participating schools to reinforce the program. Speaking to the students about the importance of reading, head coach Mike Hohensee, assistant coaches Stan Davis and Dave Witthun, and Rush players like James Baron tried to communicate the importance of reading in a way which the students could identify.
"We wanted the students to know that there was more to reading than just their science and social studies books," said Mike Alzamora, Rush director of communications. "We brought with us examples of books that we each read in our spare time - books ranging in subjects from sports, to movies, to history - to try and generate some excitement about reading."
With the success this spring, the Rush already is targeting a return of the "Rush to Read" program for the 2002-2003 school year. Chicago Public School 's deputy chief of staff David Pickens already has expressed an interest in continuing the program in the fall. The team's goal for the fall, however, will be to expand the program to encompass sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from school districts across Chicagoland.
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