Robo's Readers

Written by Penguins Manager Monday, 07 September 2009 17:55

ROBO'S READERS SCHOOL READING PROGRAM - Sponsored by Cross Valley Federal Credit Union

In an effort to strengthen an already solid community relationship, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins established the “All-Star Reading Program” in 2007. It was designed to reward school children in grades K through 6 for their reading efforts. A free home game ticket voucher was awarded to all students for every five books he or she read. There was no limit to the number of vouchers a student could earn. Pages and pages later, over 60,000 books were read by over 8,000 of our local youngsters.

The classroom which had the most books read during the campaign was also awarded a pizza party, attended by Penguins players and team mascot Tux. Visit the following link for a short clip of all the fun.

The Penguins went on to rename this program in honor of Darcy Robinson, a former Penguins player who passed away in October, 2007, while playing overseas. ‘Robo’ knew the joy that books can bring more than most – he battled dyslexia from a young age, and thoroughly appreciated the wonders of the written word.

The Robo’s Readers program, sponsored by Cross Valley FCU, will be an annual feature, in which our local school children can participate and truly have a good time while reading. Play-by-play broadcaster Scott Stuccio oversees the program, and recruits classrooms each September.

If your school is interested in enrolling, please email Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Penguins would like to sincerely thank all of our local superintendents, principals, reading specialists, and teachers for encouraging students to open up their minds by opening up a book. We look forward to more fun each season!

Testimonials

“I am proud to participate in the Penguins All-Star Reading Program with my Kindergarten students because it is a great way to establish a solid reading foundation at an early age. What better way to instill the importance of reading in our children than with one of our community’s favorite teams. Thank you to Scott Stuccio and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins organization for committing to our students through this program.”

Jill Guyette, Kindergarten - Schuyler Ave. Elementary School

“Scott, I'd like to thank you and the entire organization for having this program. The kids who participated really enjoyed it.”

Frank O’Boyle, 4th Grade - Main St. Elementary School

“Thanks again Scott! It's been FUN! Hope you do the program again next year!”

Stacey Rutt, 3rd Grade - Tenth St. Elementary School