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Caitlin Clark Announces Incredible Partnership On Her Birthday

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 10:34 AM ET

Happy Birthday Caitlin Clark!

The Indiana Fever superstar turns 23 years old today and while most people celebrate their birthdays with special gifts, Clark marked the occasion with an incredible partnership.

On Wednesday, The Caitlin Clark Foundation announced that it has partnered with Scholastic's United States of Readers program to "create awareness and measurable impact of early age reading access in under-resourced schools" across the country. To that end, Scholastic has donated 22,000 new children's books to various programs with limited access to books.

In a statement, Clark recalled reading books from Scholastic as a child and how it helped motivate her to read. She said she is looking forward to her collaboration with Scholastic.

"Reading and education have always been hugely important in my life. I remember picking out the books from the Scholastic flyer and how empowering that was for me as a child, and how motivated I was to read. I want to help kids have the same experience, to develop their reading skills and open their imaginations to dream big. I am thrilled that my foundation will support reading as Literacy Champions by collaborating with Scholastic and the United States of Readers," Clark said, via Keith Murphy.

On Caitlin Clark's birthday, 1-22, the Caitlin Clark Foundation announces a partnership with Scholastic's national literacy program to donate 22,000 books to under-resourced schools, focusing on Iowa and Indiana.

The Caitlin Clark Foundation expects to distribute the books to… pic.twitter.com/7HADHZzaH1
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) January 22, 2025

Scholastic executive Judy Newman highlighted the benefits that the United States of Readers program offers and praised Clark as a role model.

"We need to make radical moves and inspire meaningful improvement to change the trajectory of child literacy rates in America. To do this, we need champion-level advocacy and support, which is what makes collaborating with Caitlin so exciting. As we've seen from the 65,000 students nationwide who participate in the United States f Readers program, access to quality books and positive reading role models are key to developing motivation and self-confidence and increasing literacy. Caitlin is a proven role model, and we are thrilled to work together with the Caitlin Clark Foundation to make reading more accessible to kids everywhere," Newman said.

There's no denying that Clark is already one of America's most popular role models to girls and boys alike.

Whether she becomes an all-time great basketball megastar or falls short of that particular goal, the impact she'll have on people will extend far beyond the basketball court.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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