Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
Bridgeport, CT
For Immediate Release For More Information:
May 3, 2017 Dalmarys Matos (203)333-2843
dalmarys.matos@bridgeportct.gov
-Press Release-
Mayor Ganim, New England Patriot Malcolm Mitchell to Celebrate School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport 50th Anniversary
Bridgeport, CT – Mayor Joseph Ganim and New England Patriot Malcolm Mitchell will celebrate School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport, Inc’s 50th anniversary on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn. The featured speaker, Malcolm Mitchell, is a wide receiver for the 2017 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Mitchell is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, where he realized that his stellar athletic skills did not match his academic abilities. Determined to improve his academics, he became an avid reader and lover of books. This led to his writing a children’s book and the creation of his own nonprofit organization, ‘Read with Malcolm’, which promotes the benefits of reading and book ownership.
Mitchell’s love of reading and books is perfectly aligned with the work of the School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport. The organization was started in 1964 as a project of the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County at Waltersville School. In 1966 the American Association of University Women assumed leadership. The program was incorporation 1967 and rapidly expanded throughout the city’s schools. Today, approximately 1,000 adults from the greater Bridgeport area join as volunteers for the association’s annual Read Aloud Day in October and the ongoing reading enrichment, tutoring and mentoring programs. The organization annually donates 16,000 books to classrooms and student home libraries to promote the value and enjoyment of reading.
After the event, Mitchell will go to Dunbar School to hold a Reading Rally with all the students. He hopes to inspire them to continue learning to read well and realize the enjoyment that reading can bring to their lives. Every student will receive a copy of his book, The Magician’s Hat.
For more information contact Anne Gribbon at agribbon@bridgeportedu.net or 203-275-1120
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