The Wade Smith Foundation and Houston Super Bowl Host Committee Partner for National Literacy Month

Words and Photography By Jo-Carolyn Goode

The countdown is on! The clock is ticking. We are just 150 days away until Houston hosts the most watched game, Super Bowl LI Preparations are revving up as Houston rolls out the red carpet for guests near and far. Long after the game is gone on February 18, 2017, the legacy of Super Bowl LI will still be felt in Houston due to partnerships like that of the Wade Smith Foundation (WSF) with the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee (HSBHC). Together these organizations are igniting the fire for a love of reading among Houston area students.

Under the umbrella of Touchdown Houston, there are three main initiatives that the HSBHC is launching. One of those focuses is on early literacy. HSBHC’s Director of Community Relations LaMecia Butler said, “When you look at the statistics and what happens when children aren’t reading at grade level, they are four times more likely to drop out of school if they are not reading by grade level by third grade.” The host committee looked at statistics like that and ones noting that there is only one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods and knew they had to react. Butler added, “This was an opportunity for us as the host committee to say this is important. We say that this is the Super Bowl of the future and that means the future are our kids. So how do we make sure that they are prepared and that we are leaving a legacy for them beyond the game.”

Leaving a legacy of loving to read in children is the goal of host committee. In looking at ways to accomplished this audacious task they looked to someone already on the front lines tackling this same goal. They found that in former Houston Texans, author, entrepreneur and childhood literacy champion Wade Smith. Through his foundation, the Wade Smith Foundation (WSF), and his Reading with the Pros Literacy (RWTP) events, Smith and his band of celebrity friends that include current/former NFL, NBA, WNBA players and collegiate athletes have participated in nearly 50 RWTP reading events at schools and libraries throughout Houston and Dallas since April 2012.

The partnership of WSF and HSBHC launched at Kashmere Gardens Elementary with their first RWTP event in celebration of National Literacy Month. Before reading his children’s book, “Smitty Hits the Play Books,” Smith told of his love for reading which stemmed from his mother who got him reading at an early age. With his mom’s support and Hooked on Phonics Smith is proud to say that he was a pretty good reader as a child and now he wants to pass that on to today’s children.

“Education is the big equalizer,” said Smith in our one-on-one interview. “It doesn’t matter where you start from in life, you can be on the lower social economic situation and education can bring you up and get you out of your current situation. So this foundation loves to go to the places that need the most help and kind of explain to the kids, like, ‘hey you may be in a certain situation now but you don’t have to stay that way.’ Using your mind to expand your thought processes and where you want to go in life and what you want to achieve can take you farther than you may ever dream.” Smith added that he just wants children to know that education and reading are important and it's cool to be intelligent.

But Smith is not just making sure children love to read. He is making reading exciting with the “Read All the Wade” contest. Kashmere Garden students along with those at Blackshear, Epps Island, Kennedy, Montgomery, and James Berry Elementary Schools are being challenged to read 25,000 books between October 1, 2016 to January 27, 2017. Each school will compete to read books equal to the height of a life-size Wade Smith “Touchdown Spike” cardboard cutout. Each school will receive a donation of 1,000 books for their school’s library. The winning school will receive a Reading with the Pros literacy event at their school, Houston Super Bowl Edition, one Kindle per class, and a customized trophy!

Smith loves to read books and write them. His first book, “Smitty Hits the Play Books” has already been released. His second book is going through the publishing process and the concept for his third book has already been drafted. In addition to being an early literacy advocate, Smith is a businessman and ambassador for the Houston Texans. He said he is busier now than he ever was playing in the NFL but he always has time to support childhood literacy.

Join the Smith, WSF and the HSBHC by supporting the early literacy initiative. Also stay tuned for more ways to support upcoming initiatives launches from the HSBHC that aims to get 5,100 local residents to donate time, money, and books to one of three legacy projects that will deploy in the local community before Super LI. For more information, visit www.housuperbowl.com/charitable-giving or www.wadesmithfoundation.org.