The Avnet Cares team helped kick off the “Read Your Way to the Ballpark” program this month, along with Arizona Diamondback’s outfielder Jake McCarthy and team mascot, Baxter. The crew surprised students at Heard Elementary School in Phoenix, AZ, with Dbacks baseball hats and autographed cards from Jake McCarthy. The group also awarded a $1,000 grant to one of the teachers for the purchase of new books for the classroom.
The “Read Your Way to the Ballpark Program,” supported by Avnet Cares, encourages reading and literacy among students in grades K-6. Teachers can sign up for the program for free.
Each participating class will receive a free program kit at no cost that includes four prizes for each student, bookmarks for each student, and a poster for the classroom to help track student progress. Students can earn four different rewards by reaching four individual reading goals determined by their teachers. The four prizes are:
First Base Goal Prize: Sticker Sheet
Second Base Goal Prize: Backpack charm
Third Base Goal Prize: D-backs pennant
Home Plate Goal Prize: Ticket voucher good for two tickets to a 2025 D-backs home game
Space for the program is limited to the first 300 teachers who register, click here to learn more about the program.