Caitlin Clark has one wish for her 23rd birthday—to help kids read more.
Announced Wednesday, Scholastic is donating 22,000 new books to the Caitlin Clark Foundation to further fuel interest in reading amongst children and make it easier for them to access books. Per the official press release from Clark’s foundation, the long-term goal of this partnership is to “create awareness and measurable impact of early age reading access in under-resourced schools through the United States of Readers and other programs.”
This first donation is the beginning of that collaborative work, which will see the books being distributed to various programs throughout the year. This distribution includes elementary and middle schools, children’s hospitals and more. “Reading and education have always been hugely important in my life. I remember picking out the books from the Scholastic flyer and how empowering that was for me as a child, and how motivated I was to read,” Clark says in her official statement.
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“I want to help kids have the same experience, to develop their reading skills and open their imaginations to dream big,” she continues. Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic adds, “We need to make radical moves and inspire meaningful improvement to change the trajectory of child literacy rates in America. To do this, we need champion-level advocacy and support, which is what makes collaborating with Caitlin so exciting,” she notes.
“As we’ve seen from the 65,000 students nationwide who participate in the United States of Readers program, access to quality books and positive reading role models are key to developing motivation, self-confidence and increasing literacy.”
Clark’s 2024 rookie campaign was one of the most impactful in WNBA history, which saw her winning 2024 Rookie of the Year amongst other prestigious honors such as being named the 2024 Sporting News Female Athlete of the Year, and awarded Time’s 2024 Athlete of the Year.
What did Caitlin Clark average during the 2024 season?
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals during her rookie campaign, which also saw her named the Associated Press’s 2024 rookie of the year.