"I loved reading with my buddy and having him listen to me. It really helped me get into the books. I learned that some books don’t sound very good, or may not be your type, but you should give them a try. Chris helped me realize that."

"I think that it is really cool that high school football players were allowed to come to my school to help us with our reading. My mentor and I would set a goal for how many pages or chapters that I should read each week. He would go over the pages with me and ask me what had happened in the story. I liked being able to talk about my books with him, so I was happy to read more at night than I used to."

"When the players were engaged with the students, it was incredible to watch. The elementary students had smiles on their faces. The players were joking around with the students; they were playing games, practicing vocabulary, or just reading books. Every day a coach was in there observing, you could tell that it was productive. This is an incredible program and I hope to continue this every year given the opportunity."

"Watching these high school boys three times the size of our little guys as they patiently listen and prompt and question to encourage and support reading is heartwarming. The benefits to athletes and elementary students is immeasurable."