Kristina Dailing
Daily Egyptian
Johna Lilly points to "Bachelor," a colorful book decorated with bright pastel lip marks.
"This one goes good with my house shoes," the 8-year-old Lilly tells SIU women's basketball player Megan Miller. "They have kisses all over them, too."
Miller, along with 21 other SIU athletes from the football, volleyball, baseball and men and women's basketball teams, spent three hours reading and picking out books with community children at Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Monday afternoon.
The youths were students from the Eurma Hayes Center taking part in Attucks Community Services Summer Youth program. There were more than 40 children age 7 to 12 who attended the program.
Joe Cross, academic coordinator for the SIU Athletic Department, was one of several people who pushed for the reading program and contacted the athletes and coaches to make the program happen.
SIU was one of the universities that was awarded a grant from Verizon Read to allow college students a chance to help community children and promote reading.
"We are here to encourage the kids to stay in schools, to continue to listen to their parents and to continue to accept responsibility for their actions," Cross said.
SIU had already used some of the grant money to work with local schools. The leftover money was used for this program, allowing each child $20 to purchase books.
Twanda Mason, a teacher at Eurma Hayes, said the children found out about the event on Wednesday and wanted to bring their whole families. They were allowed to bring one or two friends, but it didn't curb the students' or teachers' excitement.
"It's real good for the kids, especially those who don't have father figures," Mason said. "It gives them a chance to bond and embrace with a positive role model."
The athletes were also excited to take part in the program and were happy to spend the afternoon reading to the children.
Marc Webel, an incoming freshman football player, was glad to help out with the program because he remembers how much he liked to hang out with his older brother, who was a basketball player.
"Anytime you get somebody a little older to talk to a kid, they think it's fun," Webel said. "It's special and it will be something they remember forever."
Matthew Kelly, 12, read sports books with Webel and spent more than 30 minutes discussing facts from the football and baseball books he purchased.
"It's fun hanging out with them because I have never hung out with football players before," Kelly said. "And it's just fun looking at the magazines and books."
Lilly, with the lip-adorned house slippers, and her 8-year-old friend Joshalynn Starks picked out all the same books, but Lilly picked a few extra to read to her nieces.
This was the first time either of the girls had been to a large bookstore.
"I've never actually been here before," Lily said. "But there are a lot of nice books here."
Lilly and Starks were not alone; most of the children in the program had never been to the store. Barnes and Noble manager Jean Modgin was happy to change that and invite the athletes and students in. She even offered a discount on the books the children bought.
"Most of the kids see the store, but they have not had an opportunity to ever come by," Modgin said. "Now they do, and what's even cooler is that they get to come with a 'celebrity.'"
But the athletes don't see themselves as celebrities, at least when they are off the court, off the field and off of the diamond. Even the children scurrying around to get the athletes' autographs in their new books didn't swell any egos.
"It brings a sense of level-headedness," said incoming freshman football player DeJuan Kea. "So we don't think we are better than everyone else, and we are on the top of the world."
Many of the athletes just enjoyed leaving campus to help out Carbondale youth.
"I think it's a great community contact thing," Miller said. "It builds a bridge between SIU and the community."
When the day ended, students and athletes left the store with smiles on their faces. The children were ready to go home and read their new books, and many of the worn-out athletes were ready to take naps.
Event organizers hope that SIU will receive the grant again next year because they considered the program so successful.
"It's just one of those things that makes you feel really good," Modgin said.
Reporter Kristina Dailing can be reached at kdailing@dailyegyptian.com.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
