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Chilliwack’s Valley Huskers launch Ready, Set, READ! literacy program

The football club is filming players reading storybooks, and those vids can be used by teachers
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As part of the Valley Huskers Read, Set, READ! program, Dylan Machoacha was filmed reading Pyjama Day by Robert Munsch. (YouTube screen capture)

Chilliwack’s Valley Huskers are getting their cleats into the community virtually, launching a literacy program called Ready, Set, READ!

Head coach Bob Reist came up with the idea to have players from the B.C. Football Conference club filmed reading storybooks. Board member Amanda Johnson took the idea and ran with it, enlisting the aid of Robbie Snooks from 4theWIN Media to produce the videos. Finished vids can be streamed in classrooms, creating a useful tool for teachers while also introducing Husker players to young fans.

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In a video posted at valleyhuskers.ca/ready-set-read, Dylan Machoacha reads Pyjama Day by Robert Munsch while sitting on the turf at Exhibition Stadium.

“One of my favourites, so let’s get into it,” he said with a smile.

Other players currently featured in videos are Mateo Tuioti, Dhag Uora, Brandon Halsey, Matthew White, Joshua Yee and Josh Janssen.

Even Reist takes a spin, reading The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, as told by A. Wolf.

“Normally, our players could attend the schools and read to these students in person but due to the pandemic we approached it from a different angle,” said Huskers president Tom Caverly. “This initiative builds on where we want to take the Huskers’ football program in connecting with our communities.”


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Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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