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This space is for Cal Athletics student-athletes, community partners, and staff who want to contribute to and collaborate with our community!
Go Bears, Go Read is a Cal Athletics initiative encouraging reading by connecting Cal Student-Athletes & teams with local classrooms to support early literacy and cultivate a joy of reading at a young age.
Get Involved - Volunteer to Read Today
The flagship initiative of Go Bears, Go Read is the Cal Football Summer Reading Challenge and Cal Athletics Reading Challenge. In addition, Bears support early readers year-round through read-alongs and literacy-themed events with local libraries and classrooms in the East Bay. Student-Athletes can click the button below to see what read-aloud opportunities are available.
How The Reading Challenge Evolved
Former Golden Bear running back Patrick Laird, formerly of the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, started the Patrick Laird Summer Reading Challenge in 2018 to encourage students to continue reading over the summer and combat summer learning loss. The challenge inspired a community of readers and culminated in a great experience for everyone at Cal’s opening game. In spring 2023, with the help of the entire Cal Football Team and former Golden Bear Brian Driscoll, we worked to revive and expand the challenge to reach over 2,000 young readers through school and community outreach.
Since then, the Cal Football Reading Challenge has evolved to the year-round Cal Athletics Reading Challenge, encouraging young students to read throughout the year and earn tickets to Cal Athletics events.
Go Bears, Go Read is a collaborative effort. Thank you to our collaborative partners:
Berkeley United in Literacy Development (BUILD)
Berkeley Unified School District
KIPP Bridge Middle School
West Contra Costa Unified School District
West Contra Costa Education Fund
Oakland Unified School District
Oakland Athletic League
Cal Athletics & Cal Football
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