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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2003

News Release

Kids Got the Summer Blahs? Here's Something to Give them a Kick! 

NEA and Major League Soccer Team Up to Get Kids Scoring Big with Books

New York, NY - The National Education Association (NEA) and Major League Soccer (MLS) know that shared activities are good for the entire family-whether it involves a soccer ball or a good book. That's why the NEA and MLS with the support of Honda created "Get a Kick Out of Reading/¡Lee y Marca un Golazo!" a bilingual, multicultural program that educates not only children, but families on the importance of reading. MLS, NEA and a roster of supporting organizations are working together to integrate the sport of soccer into activities that help to change attitudes about reading and deliver positive messages about its fun and its value.
 
Joining MLS teams and NEA affiliates are affiliates of National Council of La Raza, National Association for Bilingual Education, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), ASPIRA, the American Library Association and Random House Children's Books.  Working together, these organizations will bring bilingual, multicultural reading activities to select groups of children in MLS team cities. 
 
Many of these activities kick off this month, including a "Summer Reading Challenge" sponsored by local MLS teams and NEA affiliates, a dedicated Web site at www.getakickoutofreading.org and www.leeymarcaungolazo.org  as well as thousands of new books donated to needy children.  A national television and radio public service campaign featuring players from all ten MLS teams has already hit the airwaves. 
 
The Summer Reading Challenge invites children (grades K-6) to earn the Readers' Shield Certificate over a six week challenge period where children must read (or be read to) 90 minutes a week for fun-not for homework or for other incentive programs. Children who meet the Challenge return their completed Score Sheets to be rewarded with Readers' Shield Certificates and/or other prizes from teams and/or local sponsors.
 
For those kids who need more than motivation to read, Random House Children's Books will help them shoot for success.  Random House is committed to helping kids who have little or no access to books. Through the Get a Kick Out of Reading/¡Lee y Marca un Golazo! program, 10,000 new children's books donated by Random House Children's Books will be distributed to needy children in MLS communities. 
 
Says NEA President Reg Weaver, "Educators want kids to have fun during the summer, but also want learning to continue.  Parents should remember that even when a child is having fun at his/her favorite sport, he/she is still learning.  Kids just might find reading's a real kick!"

"As our first League-wide community initiative, MLS is thrilled to team-up with the NEA and the nearly three million teachers and educators in our country for working tirelessly to get kids across the United States excited about reading.  The Reading challenge is a perfect tie-in with the sport-both take place during the summer months!" said MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Families don't need to live in an MLS team community to help their children get a kick out of reading.  Anyone can use the free resources at www.getakickoutofreading.org or www.leeymarcaungolazo.org  to involve kids in a soccer-themed reading challenge, discover soccer-themed titles for readers of all ages, and find out favorite books of some favorite MLS players.  Families living in an MLS community should be sure to have a look at their local team's Web site for special reading events with players and more opportunities to get a kick out of reading!

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City and in the midst of its eighth season, Major League Soccer features many top stars from the United States and around the world.  The ten teams that comprise MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Dallas Burn, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution and the San Jose Earthquakes.  For the latest headlines and official information on MLS, log onto www.MLSnet.com .

About American Honda Motor Company
Headquartered in Torrance, CA, Honda has supported soccer programs for more than a decade and has played a part in the growth of this exciting sport in America.  With the debut of Major League Soccer in 1996, Honda became the Official Automotive Sponsor and Official Vehicle of MLS.  MLS also annually awards the Honda Most Valuable Player trophy to one player from each team and one league Honda MVP overall.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. employs more than 19,000 associates in the United States in the areas of design, development, engineering, assembly and sales of Honda and Acura products.  Honda operates 10 manufacturing facilities in North America that produce automobiles motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, power equipment, transmissions and engines using domestic and globally sourced parts. 

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.