This time of year most kids are thinking about summer plans, like skateboarding, riding a bike or choosing a camp to attend, rather than say, picking up a good book. It’s summer after all, a time for fun.

That’s why Monarchs players Nicole Powell and Crystal Kelly showed up at Dry Creek Elementary school this week, to have fun while promoting literacy with students from the Sacramento START program.

Each player took turns reading The Secret Olivia Told Me, by N. Joy. After they read, the players answered questions from the kids, signed autographs, handed out Monarchs branded book bags and posed for photos.

“We really enjoyed it,” said Powell. “It’s nice for the kids to have summer break, and we’re here to re-emphasize reading over the summer and to have fun doing it.”

Powell reflected upon her childhood, noting that there were no professional women basketball players to look up to, so she values the chance to be a literacy role model for the kids.

“Some of the girls were asking us about being professional basketball players, and I was thinking how cool that is because I never thought about that as a little girl, it never crossed my mind,” said Powell. “So it’s a really great opportunity to be in this position.”

Read to Achieve is a year-round campaign to help young people develop a lifelong love for reading and encourage adults to read regularly with children. Reaching an estimated 50 million children a year, Read to Achieve is the most extensive educational outreach initiative in the history of professional sports.

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