Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long and his wide Megan will be investing nearly a quarter of his salary this season, approximately $625,000, as he partners with the United Way and Philadelphia’s Read by 4th campaign to launch the “First Quarter for Literacy” drive.
The First Quarter For Literacy drive aims to:
- put more books into the hands of children in underserved neighborhoods,
- build excitement and awareness around the role parents and caregivers play in raising readers,
- call on fans to join in the effort by purchasing books to enable distribution to more kids.
Long released the following statement via a press release:
"We are excited to continue our commitment to education this year through the First Quarter for Literacy drive. We are partnering with United Way and Read by 4th, not only to support their incredible efforts to get kids reading on grade level but also to amplify the message about the importance of early childhood literacy while encouraging others to join the effort. The more books we can get in kids’ hands, the more kids have a greater chance of finishing high school, which means greater long-term success."
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Long has also vowed to match any donation up to $25,000 from any opposing player the Eagles face this season for that player’s donation area. For instance, in Week 2 former Eagles DT Beau Allen donated $5,000, which means $10,000 worth of books will be donated to underserved youth in Tampa Bay.
Fans can get involved and support the “First Quarter for Literacy” drive by visiting FirstQuarterForLiteracy.org.
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