New York Giants Lineman Contributes to Education

Giants Lineman Justin Tucker kicks off Literacy for Kids program, saying, “Reading is the foundation of education.”
New York Giants Lineman Contributes to Education
RUSH FOR BOOKS: New York Giants' Justin Tuck hands a child the first of many books to be donated to New York schools this year through his new literacy initiative. (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)
9/16/2008
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/tuckcolor.jpg" alt="RUSH FOR BOOKS: New York Giants' Justin Tuck hands a child the first of many books to be donated to New York schools this year through his new literacy initiative.  (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)" title="RUSH FOR BOOKS: New York Giants' Justin Tuck hands a child the first of many books to be donated to New York schools this year through his new literacy initiative.  (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1833706"/></a>
RUSH FOR BOOKS: New York Giants' Justin Tuck hands a child the first of many books to be donated to New York schools this year through his new literacy initiative.  (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)
New York—Many Giants fans know about Tuck’s moves on the field but may not know about his commitment to education in our communities. The Sports Museum of America hosted an event Monday morning that kicked off his new charitable foundation, R.U.S.H. for Literacy. The new program aspires to encourage children to READ, UNDERSTAND, SUCCEED, and HOPE.

Originally from Kellyton, Alabama, Tuck said “reading is the foundation of education.” He confessed that as a young child he “wasn’t involved with books as much as I should have been.” He did however become enamored with literature after reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The foundation is committed to raise funds to donate books and other reading material to local New York and Central Alabama communities. “New York is my community now and I couldn’t be happier to be in the position I am to give back to the children of this great city” stated Tuck.

In collaboration with the Mayor’s office, four schools throughout the area have been selected to participate in the program. Through the initiative 1,000 children will receive four new books and participate in Tuck’s R.U.S.H for Literacy Book Club. Each child will be responsible for reading four books during the football season and submitting a brief book report. In December, four children and their families will be awarded tickets to a Giants home game.

Tuck promises $1,000 for every sack he makes in the 2008 NFL season. Matching his donation with the same amount are 14 different sponsors. That’s a total of $15,000 going towards new books for children in New York City every time he sacks an opposing Quarterback this season.

First Book, a non-profit organization that provides access to books for children in need and will be working with R.U.S.H. to distribute the materials. First Book has already distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books to thousands of communities and has offices in North America and Canada.

The Sports Museum of America (SmA) is the nation’s first all-sports experience, created in partnership with over 50 single-sport halls of fame, National Governing Bodies, private collectors, and sports organizations across North America. SmA has interactive technologies, original films, and an extensive collection of sports memorabilia.

For more information on Justin Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy program please visit www.justintuck.com