Five 'Cats Support United As One Reading Week
4/14/2021 10:51:00 AM | 'Cats Give Back
The 'Cats Give Back program seeks to enhance the overall educational experience of student-athletes by connecting Wildcats to service-oriented and philanthropic activities in the Evanston and Chicago communities. The program is supported by Northwestern Medicine and their commitment to creating better communities, now and into the future.
A handful of Northwestern student-athletes participated in the Big Ten Conference's United As One Reading Week on Wednesday, April 7. Spearheaded by the Equality Coalition, the conference-wide initiative encouraged student-athletes to read to youth at local elementary schools. In an effort to commemorate and honor Black history and culture, student-athletes selected award-winning books on the Coretta Scott King Book List.
The book the Wildcats selected to read was "What is Given from the Heart" by Patricia McKissack. This story was selected due to the underlying themes of compassion, generosity and positivity. After reading the story and sharing the key takeaways, a short question and answer then followed.
The five student-athletes who took part in the initiative include Mackenzie Keegan (field hockey), Deng Kur (men's soccer), Morgan Newport (softball), Joe Spivak (football) and Malik Washington (football). These Wildcats partnered with Orrington Elementary School, and specifically read to young students in kindergarten through the 5th grade.
This is a program that the Big Ten Conference hopes to continue on an annual basis as it provides an incredible opportunity for student-athletes to connect with youth in the community while building awareness and education around Black history.
