Detroit Tigers, Curtis Granderson, and Detroit Free Press Promote Literacy, Character, and Mentoring

DETROIT, June 2 /PRNewswire/ — The Detroit Tigers and the Detroit free Press have launched the fourth year of a literacy partnership with The Character of Champions Covering All the Bases program. The program makes an in-school appearance at Spain Elementary School at 3700 Beaubien Street in Detroit on Monday, June 9, between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Approximately 200 fourth- through fifth-grade students from Spain Elementary, Gompers Elementary, and Fleming Elementary will participate. The event will feature Detroit Tigers player Curtis Granderson, the mascot Paws, Detroit Tigers front office staff, and Detroit free Press Newspapers In Education personnel reading and discussing positive character traits with students. Students and their mentors from Detroit-based nonprofit VIP Mentoring, which conducts mentoring programs at the Spain, Fleming, and Gompers schools, will also be recognized.
The Character of Champions program was created by Detroit free Press Newspapers In Education Michigan K.I.D.S., in partnership with the Detroit Tigers, for metro-Detroit and Michigan elementary students. This year’s program includes educational lessons on developing positive character traits including integrity, honesty, and discipline. The program’s first event this year was in Southfield in May, and two additional in-school appearances will take place in the fall.
“This program creates an opportunity for students to learn about developing positive character traits and qualities while also practicing their reading skills,” said Detroit Tigers Manager of Player Relations, Youth, and Sports Programs Sam Abrams. “At this event, we are also able to recognize and celebrate the great strides being made by students and mentors from the VIP Mentoring program held at the Spain, Fleming, and Gompers schools.”
The Character of Champions program includes the distribution of a comprehensive, educational supplement for students and classroom posters to schools in metro-Detroit and across the state. Personal and professional stories and activities about character development with special features from Curtis Granderson, his teammates Nate Robertson and Placido Polanco, and Tigers President, CEO, and General Manager David Dombrowski are included.
Program sponsors are the Detroit Tigers Foundation, Detroit Medical Center, The Skillman Foundation, Michigan Orthopedic Services, and UPS. Sponsors make it possible for materials to be provided free of charge to schools in metro-Detroit and across Michigan. Since the program’s inception in 2005, Detroit free Press Newspapers In Education has delivered over 381,370 student materials to schools in 75 Michigan counties.
Detroit Media Partnership’s Newspapers In Education’s Michigan K.I.D.S. is a literacy nonprofit supporting the Detroit free Press and The Detroit News. The nonprofit is dedicated to strengthening literacy and education by providing educators with classroom newspapers, quality instructional materials, and training that will enrich the curriculum and assist in teaching reading, writing, and thinking skills through the use of newspapers.
The Detroit Tigers organization is proud of its long-standing tradition of supporting a wide variety of community and charitable organizations and their activities. Every year the Tigers organization focuses its community and charitable giving in the areas of youth, education, and recreation, and strives to improve the quality of life through the game of baseball.
Spain Elementary School: 3700 Beaubien St., Detroit, MI 48201 - Telephone: 313-494-2081
From I-75 North: Take I-75 south to the Mack Avenue Exit. Turn right onto Mack Ave. Turn right onto Beaubien St.
From Jefferson Avenue at Woodward Avenue: Take Woodward Avenue north to Mack Avenue. Turn right onto Mack Avenue. Turn left onto Beaubien Street.
Detroit free Press