The Colts and Blue Celebrated Read Across America Week with Six School VisitsINDIANAPOLIS – "We Want Blue! We Want Blue! We Want Blue!"
This was the cry heard throughout six Indiana schools last week as the NFL's #1 mascot, Blue, stopped by to celebrate Read Across America, a week-long celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday. During each stop, Blue and his special narrator, Cat in the Hat, brought the classic children's story Green Eggs and Ham to life with props, audience interaction and a good dose of humor.
These school visits kicked off on Monday, March 2, with stops at the Indiana School for the Deaf and Robey Elementary in Indianapolis, Ind. At Robey Elementary, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard served as a special guest narrator and encouraged all students to spend time reading. On Tuesday, Blue continued his visits with a stop in Muncie, Ind. at Garfield Elementary. The rest of the week included trips to Carmel, Terre Haute and Taylorsville, Ind. Each school also received 100 READ posters, featuring Blue, to hang in their classrooms, gym and cafeteria.
In total, Blue visited more than 3,000 students throughout the week, bringing laughter and smiles to each and every child and teacher. He proved to be a welcome afternoon distraction after students had spent the large part of the morning completing mandatory I-STEP testing.
This is the second year Blue has participated in Read Across America Week to help get kids excited about reading and emphasize the importance of literacy. The visits were a part of the Colts Blue Ribbon Literacy Campaign, an initiative launched in 2007 to encourage Hoosiers of all ages to spend more time reading. For more information on this program, visit www.colts.com/literacy.
Blue also stays active in schools across Indiana through his P.R.I.D.E. program. Each year, Blue visits more than 75 Indiana school to reminds students to take P.R.I.D.E. in themselves by staying Physically fit, showing Respect, making Intelligent decisions, having a healthy Diet and getting a good Education.
For more information on all of Blue's activities, or to learn how you can request a visit from the Official Mascot of the Indianapolis Colts, visit www.colts.com/blue.
