He's at it again. Good human Chris Long is doing good human things again.
Long is donating nearly a quarter of his 2018 salary as he partners with the United Way and Philadelphia's Read by 4th campaign to launch the "First Quarter for Literacy" drive, according to a news release sent out Friday morning.
This comes after Long donated his entire 2017 salary to initiatives aimed to level the educational playing field for kids. A quarter of Long's salary this year means around $625,000.
The "First Quarter for Literacy" has three main goals:
• Put more books in 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 the effort by purchasing books for distribution
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The drive will have national and local components. In addition to helping in Philadelphia, this drive will also help programs in rural Virginia, Long's home state.
Long released the following statement via a news 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.
One of the coolest aspects to the drive is that Long will match any donation up to $25,000 from any opposing player the Eagles face this season for that player's donation area. It started in Week 2, when former Eagles DT Beau Allen donated $5,000. That means $10,000 of books are coming to underserved youth in Tampa Bay.
To get involved, check out First Quarter for Literacy.
