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HILL: RIT ATHLETICS
AREN'T ONLY MAKING HEADLINES FOR
THEIR SUCCESS ON THE FIELD, BUT
THEY'RE ALSO EARNING RECOGNITION
FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND
DEDICATION IN THE ROCHESTER
COMMUNITY. SINCE 2007, STUDENT
ATHLETES AND STAFF MEMBERS FROM
RIT'S LIBRARY HAVE TEAMED UP TO
PROMOTE THE IMPORTANCE OF
READING IN INNER CITY SCHOOLS.
STUDENT ATHLETES AND WALLACE
CENTER STAFF MEMBERS
PARTICIPATED IN RIT'S FOURTH
GIANT READ AT ROCHESTER'S SCHOOL
NUMBER FIVE. NEW SPEAKER: THIS
IS THE FIRST EVENT OF READ HELP
IN ACTION. WE HAVE 50 ATHLETES
AND A BUNCH OF LIBRARY STAFF
HERE TO COME AND PROMOTE GOING
TO SCHOOL AND PROMOTE READING.
EVERY KID GETS A BOOK AND THEY
GET TO KEEP IT. WE READ IT TO
THEM AND THE HOPE IS NEXT YEAR
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO READ IT BACK
TO YOU. NEW SPEAKER: IT HELPS
PROMOTE READING, WHICH IS KEY IN
THIS BUILDING, ESPECIALLY THIS
SCHOOL IN PARTICULAR WHERE ONE
THIRD OF THE POPULATION ARE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS. WE
HAVE A LARGE POPULATION OF
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
WHERE IT'S THE LEARNING
DISABILITY AND JUST ALL OF OUR
CHILDREN IN GENERAL. IN ADDITION
TO THAT, IT ALLOWS THE CHILDREN
TO BUILD THEIR OWN LIBRARIES AT
HOME, BECAUSE THEY GET AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE BOOKS
HOME. HILL: THE PROGRAM WAS
STARTED THANKS TO THE VISION AND
TIRELESS EFFORTS OF RIT STAFF
AND STUDENT ATHLETE KEVIN
RADIGAN. NEW SPEAKER: KEVIN
RADIGAN HAS ACTUALLY BEEN THE
LEADER FOR THE ATHLETES
THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
HE COMES EVERY FRIDAY AND HE
ACTUALLY HAD THE VISION TO
EXPAND THIS TO ALL OF ROCHESTER
AND SO HE TOGETHER WITH CARRIE
HOROWITZ LAST YEAR DECIDED TO
WRITE A GRANT. KEVIN ACTUALLY
IDENTIFIED THE JOHN F. WEGMAN
COMMUNITY GRANT AND TOGETHER
KEVIN, CARRIE AND I MET WITH THE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT RIT, WE
MET WITH THE JOHN F. WEGMAN
FOUNDATION, WE WROTE THE GRANT
AND FORTUNATELY WE GOT IT AND
TODAY THAT'S FUNDING ALL OF THE
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO BE
HERE WITH THE KIDS FOR OUR
BUSES, FOR OUR BOOKS, AND
EVERYTHING SO THAT WE COULD DO
THIS TODAY COMMUNITY WIDE. NEW
SPEAKER: THIS YEAR IT'S EXPANDED
SO SIX OTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS,
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ALSO
ARE DOING THE SAME THING AT THE
SAME TIME, SO I MUST SAY AS MUCH
AS I LOVE SEEING THIS FOR THE
THIRD YEAR HERE, I JUST WISH I
COULD BE A FLY ON THE WALL AT
THE OTHER SCHOOLS TO SEE WHAT'S
GOING ON, BECAUSE CERTAINLY WE
ARE DOING SOMETHING PHENOMENAL
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE
KEVIN AND JUST A WHOLE STAFF AT
RIT. HILL: WHILE IT'S AN EYE
OPENING EXPERIENCE, IT'S ALSO A
GRATIFYING ONE THAT KEEPS THE
RIT COMMUNITY COMING BACK WEEK
AFTER WEEK. NEW SPEAKER: I
REALLY LOVE LOOKING AT IT FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT THE RIT
STUDENTS GET FROM THIS TODAY. I
THINK IT MAKES THEM TAKE A STEP
BACK, I THINK THEY REALIZE HOW
PRIVILEGED THEY ARE TO BE WHERE
THEY ARE AND TO REALIZE HOW FAR
THEY'VE COME FROM WHEN THEY WERE
FIRST GRADERS AND HOW MUCH THEY
CAN GIVE BACK. HILL: SO SEEING
THE REACTION ON THESE KIDS'
FACES; HOW GRATIFYING IS THAT TO
YOU? NEW SPEAKER: IT'S GREAT. TO
COME IN AND YOU COME HERE AND
YOU SEE THE LOOKS ON THEIR
FACES, YOU SEE THE LOOKS THAT
WE'RE JUST GIVING THEM THIS
SMALL BOOK AND TO HOLD THEIR
HAND AND JUMP ROPE WITH THEM,
AND IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER
THAN THAT. HILL: WHY IS THIS SO
IMPORTANT TO YOU? RADIGAN: I
FEEL LIKE IT'S JUST A GOOD WAY
TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO BLESSED TO BE
IN SCHOOL, WE GET SO MUCH. IT'S
JUST A COUPLE HOURS OUT OF YOUR
DAY. HILL: AND WHAT'S YOUR
FAVORITE PART ABOUT ALL THIS?
RADIGAN: PROBABLY SEEING THE
KIDS REACTIONS; YOU GET SOME
GREAT STORIES AND IT'S A LOT OF
FUN. NEW SPEAKER: THE RIT
STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST
SPECIAL. IT'S BEEN AT LEAST NOW
I WOULD SAY FOUR YEARS OF OUR
PARTNERSHIP AND THEY COME IN
EXCITED AND WILLING TO DO
WHATEVER THEY CAN TO HELP OUR
CHILDREN. SO THEY ARE PART OF
THE SCHOOL FIVE FAMILY. HILL:
THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN A GREAT
SUCCESS AND RIT HOPES TO EXPAND
IT IN THE FUTURE. RADIGAN: I
KNOW THERE'S STILL 33 OTHER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE, SO WE'RE
HOPING TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESSES
AND SPORTS TEAMS AND OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN THE
PROGRAM. HILL: WHAT'S THE FUTURE
OF THIS PROGRAM? NEW SPEAKER:
WELL I KNOW THAT KEVIN AND
CARRIE ARE TAKING STEPS RIGHT
NOW. ONE IDEA IS TO EXPAND THIS
TO ALL THE SCHOOLS IN THE NATION
THAT HAVE A TIGER FOR A MASCOT
AND DO A TIGER READING DAY,
WHICH WOULD BE REALLY FUN, AND I
KNOW KEVIN'S ALSO TRYING TO MAKE
SOME CONTACTS WITH THE NCAA TO
TALK ABOUT EXPANDING THIS TO
HAVE A NATIONWIDE GIANT READ DAY
ATHLETES AND LIBRARIES JOIN
TOGETHER AND DO THIS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY ALL ON ONE DAY.
WHERE A BUNCH OF COLLEGE