Last year, in a remarkable charitable undertaking, Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive end, Chris Long, donated his entire year’s salary toward education-related causes. This year, he’s at it again with the launch of his First Quarter for Literacy campaign!
According to the campaign’s website, “Research says if kids are reading at grade level by the start of 4th grade, they are much more likely to succeed in school, graduate on time, and even earn more throughout their lives.”
To help more kids meet this milestone, Long is contributing a quarter of his 2018 salary to the campaign – which amounts to more than $600,000! This money will help establish volunteer mentoring services, while putting more books in the hands of children in underserved areas of Philadelphia and South Jersey. Eagles’ defensive tackle, Fletcher Cox, supported his teammate’s initiative with a donation of $10,000 to benefit children in rural Mississippi, his home state.
Furthermore, Long has agreed to match every donation made by a player on an opposing team up to $25,000… and players throughout the league are answering. So far:
- Andrew Whitworth (Rams offensive tackle) donated $20,000 to benefit children in Los Angeles.
- Connor Barwin (Giants outside linebacker) donated $10,000 to benefit children in New York.
- Beau Allen (Buccaneers defensive tackle) donated $5,000 to benefit children in Tampa Bay.
As the campaign picks up momentum, Long’s goal of getting 75,000 books to children throughout the nation will likely be surpassed! We applaud these generous players and wish the First Quarter for Literacy campaign continued success.
Want to get involved? Find out how.