Bunche Academy was the first stop for Young on a daylong tour of Michigan to deliver 30,000 books to 32 schools in Detroit, Pontiac, Flint and Owosso as part of the Stephanie Starks HOPE Foundations’ “Defending Literacy Tour.”
“I know kids get really excited about Santa Claus over Christmas and what better way to give back to the community than to bring my sleigh and bring 30,000 books for the kids to get this illiteracy rate up,” Young said as he adjusted his white beard.
According to the Detroit Literacy Coalition, the City of Detroit has a 47 percent illiteracy rate among adults. Young said he couldn’t think of a better way of giving back to the community than trying to attack that number by raising awareness among children.
“My heart has always been towards kids’ education being first and foremost before anything,” Young said. “This opportunity presented itself and I thought: what a better time and what a better place to come into the Detroit inner-city schools, where the illiteracy rate is at 47 percent, and try to get a cut-back on this illiteracy rate during this Christmas season.”
The "Defending Literacy Tour" has been supplying free books - valued at over $15 million - to inner city kids for almost a decade.
“It’s absolutely amazing the amount of books, I think four or five for each student, that is incredible,” said Bunche Academy principle Marvin Franklin. “It gives the kids some opportunities to embrace literacy. They’ll have a chance to own and possess and feel good about some books.”
Lions Hall-of-Fame corner Lem Barney was on hand and spoke to the children grades K-8 about chasing dreams and becoming anything they wanted to be in life as long as they educated themselves.
Soon after, Young busted through the gymnasium doors in his Santa Claus suit to a huge ovation. Young brought Lions receiver
“At the end of the day yesterday the kids couldn’t wait to come and meet Titus Young,” said Franklin. “They are going to embrace literacy because this is a moment in time that they will never forget.”
