Caitlin Clark turned her birthday into a celebration of literacy, donating 22,000 books to under-resourced schools in Iowa and Indiana through a partnership between her foundation and Scholastic’s national literacy program.
In a press release from the Caitlin Clark Foundation, the University of Iowa basketball legend and current Indiana Fever star shared her passion for reading and fond memories of Scholastic books.
“I remember picking out the books from the Scholastic flyer and how empowering that was for me as a child, and how motivated I was to read,” Clark said in the release. “I want to help kids have the same experience, to develop their reading skills, and open their imaginations to dream big.”
The donated books will be distributed to students aged pre-K to 8th grade as part of Scholastic’s national literacy program titled the United States of Readers. Judy Newman, the chief impact officer at Scholastic, is quoted in the release saying 65,000 children participate in the program nationwide.
“Caitlin is a proven role model, and we are thrilled to work together with the Caitlin Clark Foundation to make reading more accessible to kids everywhere,” Newman’s statement reads.
The press release also states that education is a core pillar of the Caitlin Clark Foundation, which aims to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sports — three pillars Clark believes were foundational in her success.
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The donation of 22,000 books is the beginning of Clark’s ongoing collaboration with Scholastic, according to the release.
“Together, the Caitlin Clark Foundation and Scholastic will work to create awareness and measurable impact of early age reading access in under-resourced schools,” the release states.
Regarding nutrition, one of the foundation’s core pillars, Clark previously partnered with the Coralville Community Food Pantry in 2022 and 2023, raising over $100,000 to support families facing food insecurity.
Her in-person meet-and-greet events at the pantry drew large crowds and generated hundreds of pounds of essential item donations for the pantry.
“Caitlin made our local community stronger in many ways,” Kate Wolniak-Bujakowska, Coralville community food pantry programs assistant, previously wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan. “Using her platform to support the work of the Food Pantry is something we will never forget.”
Additionally, Clark partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa in November 2023, donating $13,000 worth of youth-sized winter gear and sporting equipment. According to the Caitlin Clark Foundation website, she later contributed an additional $22,000 to further support the organization and its mission.