Bears cornerback Isaiah Frey will join 100 students from across the Chicago area Saturday in the Walter Payton Center for a youth football clinic.
All participating students successfully completed the Bears' "Tales to Tackle" reading incentive program or mascot Staley Da Bear's "Tackle Reading" program. Both programs were conducted in local schools during the 2013-14 school year. As a reward for their achievement, the children will take part in the clinic, led by Frey and coaches from the Chicago Bears youth football camps.
This is the 10th consecutive year that the Bears have partnered with ComEd to offer "Tales to Tackle," which is geared toward sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.
"ComEd is committed to supporting educational and community initiatives that empower future leaders to do great things," said Trent Sheridan of ComEd. "The 'Tales to Tackle' program celebrates the power of reading, and we are proud to support such a great program in the communities we serve."
The program encourages students to read three teacher-approved books each month during a three-month period. Each participant receives a reading notebook that features pictures of Bears players, a list of suggested books and space to write book reports.
Staley's "Tackle Reading" program, which targets students in Grades 1-5, is designed to foster young students' interest in reading both fiction and non-fiction books. The program is divided into four quarters and one "overtime" week.
Students are encouraged to read one book per quarter, including two fiction books during the first half and two non-fiction books during the second half. Students can complete the "overtime" portion by either writing a book report or short story on one of the four books they've read.
