January 22, 2013
Athletes for Hope and First Book joined forces for an MLK Week of Service to help those around the country! The campaign is currently underway, which features pro and Olympic athletes from across many sports who are giving back to their communities.
Pro Basketball Player Etan Thomas kicked off the campaign on January 19th by volunteering with First Book in the National Day of Service on the mall in Washington, D.C. Etan brought much of his family along on the visit and they participated in a variety of activities including packing books into backpacks for children in need.
Etan remarked about the visit, “We were really happy to include our daughter Imani in the national day of service. It was really good for her to [participate] and to understand giving and helping others. She asked us why wouldn't all kids have enough books, and said that wasn't fair and she didn't understand. She also said she wants to help again tomorrow!”
First Book was one of seven nonprofits featured at the event, highlighting the idea of community service in such areas as education, the environment and support for military families. Each volunteer packed books into a bag, and the bags will be distributed in the coming days to students throughout Washington, D.C. To find out more about First Book, visit www.firstbook.org.
