Ready, Set, Read! operates by giving children incentives, such as gift cards and Ravens tickets, to read.
“Our Ready, Set, Read! program encourages kids to read outside of school,” Birk said. “We get them in the habit of reading books for pleasure, and they’re recognized in their school…. We select one student, and we take them down to the stadium. We have lunch and give them a behind-the-scenes tour.”
Read and Rise, meanwhile, partners with Scholastic books to ensure that children have books of their own.
“It brings Scholastic book fairs to low income schools that otherwise wouldn’t have them,” Birk said. “All these kids get vouchers. They can go to the book fair and purchase up to five books. They can purchase books they want, and they have ownership. We invited the families or whomever the child is living with, we have a dinner, and we also have workshop on tips on encouraging their kids to read, developing strong reading skills. The goal is the same [as Ready, Set, Read!] to get kids reading at the youngest age possible.”
At the heart of the mission is the belief that children will read if they have the opportunity to read about things they enjoy.
“They will read the things that they find appealing and are drawn to,” Ginn said.
Ginn added that by the end of the school year the HIKE Foundation will have “put over 30,000 books in the hands of just over 10,000 kids.”
And none of it would be possible without Birk’s dedication.
“He should be the poster boy for the NFL about how to do things the right way, to do them with excellence and compassion,” Ginn said. “His passion, his vision for wanting to make a mark on education, it’s been incredible.”
“Matt understands his role isn’t just to be a football player,” Runyon added. “He understands ‘I’m in a position I’m not going to be in forever.’ He’s going to make the most of every situation. He’s done that.... Matt realized football’s for 14-15 years of his life. What he does for those kids is forever.”
—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.