LPWire: NBA & Disney To Promote Reading in China
NBA & Disney To Promote Reading
in China
Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings help spread the love of reading as part
of NBA China Games 2004
As part of the historic NBA China
Games 2004, the National Basketball Association (NBA), DisneyHand, worldwide
outreach for The Walt Disney Company, and Hong Kong Disneyland will work
together to help promote literacy and the importance of reading in Shanghai and
Beijing.
The NBA's Read to Achieve program and DisneyHand’s Reading Together initiative
have teamed up to host Read to Achieve events at primary schools in Shanghai and
Beijing during the NBA China Games 2004. As part of the collaboration between
Disney and the NBA, Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher
of children’s books and magazines, will donate 1,000 books to each school.
The first Read to Achieve event will take place on Wednesday, October 13, at the
No. 1 Gao’an Road Primary School in Shanghai -- Houston Rockets Center Yao
Ming’s former school. Yao Ming and members of the Houston Rockets, will be
joining NBA commissioner David Stern, Walt Disney Company President and COO Bob
Iger, Shanghai Administration of Sport President, Mr. Jin Guoxiang and Vice
President, Mr. Qiu Weichang, Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, WNBA Stars
Diana Taurasi and Ruth Riley and special guest Mickey Mouse in a Reading Time
Out.
“I am proud to return to China, and the primary school I attended, to represent
the NBA and the ‘Read to Achieve’ program,�? said Yao Ming. “Reading and learning
are important no matter where you live and my teammates and I are extremely
happy to be able to teach children that very essential lesson.�?
“Over the years, Disney has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of
people around the world, and introducing that special magic to China is truly a
historic undertaking,�? said Bob Iger. “The foundation of our creative success is
rooted in Disney’s great heritage of master storytelling -- whether in our
films, theme parks or books -- and we are pleased that we will continue to grow
our presence in China, particularly with the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland.�?
A second Reading Time Out event will be held on Saturday, October 16, at the
Beijing No.2 Experimental Primary School. Players from the Sacramento Kings,
along with George Bodenheimer, Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks and President,
ESPN, Inc, NBA commissioner David Stern, WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Ruth
Riley, and Chinese Government Officials will participate.
The NBA China Games 2004, sponsored by The Walt Disney Company, will be
organized in conjunction with the respective Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sport
and Shanghai Administration of Sports. The NBA China Games 2004 will be played
on October 14 in Shanghai at the Shanghai Stadium and October 17 in Beijing at
the Capital Stadium.
In the U.S., the game in Shanghai will be broadcast on October 14 at 7:30 a.m.
ET (4:30 a.m. PT) on ESPN and re-aired on ESPN2 at 7:30 pm ET (4:30 p.m. PT).
The game in Beijing will be broadcast on October 16 at midnight ET (9:00 p.m.
PT) on ESPN and re-aired on October 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT) on ESPN.
China Central Television (CCTV) and Shanghai TV (STV) are the respective host
broadcasters for the games in Beijing and Shanghai. Both games will be carried
live on CCTV 5 and Great Sports Channel, with re-airs on both channels and CCTV
2.
Read to Achieve
Reaching an estimated 50 million children a year, Read to Achieve is the
most extensive educational outreach initiative in the history of professional
sports. Efforts of the NBA’s Read to Achieve program includes the annual
donation of more than a million books and magazines through a variety of reading
events and incentive programs, as well as the development of essay contests and
on-line programs. In an effort to provide greater access to books and
technology, the NBA and its teams, along with national partners such as RIF®,
and Dell have also created 92 Reading and Learning Centers and 80 Reading
Corners throughout North America, Brazil and South Africa. In addition to being
supported by all NBA, WNBA and NBDL teams, Read to Achieve is supported by the
NBA's officials, parents and wives of players organizations, and the NBA Players
Association and Retired Players Association.
DisneyHand
DisneyHand, worldwide outreach for The Walt Disney Company, is dedicated to
making the dreams of families and children a reality through public service
initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in the areas of compassion,
learning, the arts and the environment. For more information on DisneyHand
Reading Together and our other projects and programs around the world, please
visit us at www.DisneyHand.com
About Hong Kong Disneyland
The Hong Kong Disneyland project was announced in November 1999 as a venture
between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government. With the
completion of reclamation for Hong Kong Disneyland Phase I by the Hong Kong SAR
Government, Disney began construction in January 2003 with the project scheduled
to open in late 2005/ early 2006. The opening day program for Hong Kong
Disneyland will include a Disneyland-style theme park and two hotels. The Phase
I build-out includes a projected 10 million annual visitor Disneyland-style
theme park, 2,100 hotel rooms, and an area for retail, dining and entertainment.
The project is estimated to create 18,000 new jobs at opening (both Disney and
other employment) growing to 36,000 once the first park reaches build-out. The
Hong Kong SAR Government estimated that the first phase of the project will
generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion) in benefits
to Hong Kong over a 40-year period. For more information, please refer to the
Hong Kong Disneyland website at
www.hongkongdisneyland.com
--Posted October 14, 2004
Source: DisneyHand