Run Peruna Run coordinates Read Like a Champion Tour stop for Brandon Booker, Daylon Singleton

SMU student-athletes Brandon Booker and Daylon Singleton joined SMU alumnus and bestselling author Doyle Glass on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at DeSoto High School, where Booker and Singleton will return to their alma mater to help launch the Read Like a Champion Tour. The initiative, coordinated by Run Peruna Run, brought together SMU student-athletes, Glass and Champions for Literacy to promote literacy and inspire young readers throughout the Dallas area.

The tour pairs storytelling with sports, leveraging the platform and experiences of student-athletes to encourage students to embrace reading and recognize how literacy can create opportunities and help them pursue their goals. The DeSoto event served as the first of multiple Dallas-area school visits planned for this fall.

Head to doyleglass.com to grab the free opening chapters of his latest release, Codename Lionel. If you want to learn more about and support what Champions for Literacy is doing to engage athletes in childhood reading, visit championsforlit.org.

Booker and Singleton joined Glass at DeSoto High School for a moderated conversation with students, an open Q&A and additional opportunities to engage with students at their former school.

"I'm excited to be part of the Read Like a Champion Tour and its mission of harnessing the power of sports to inspire the next generation of lifelong readers," said Glass. "There's no better place to kick things off than DeSoto High School, where Brandon and Daylon's journeys began. When students see two of their own come home and talk about what they've learned along the way, it can inspire them to make reading a priority in their own lives."

The initiative builds on strong ties to SMU. Champions for Literacy was founded in 2013 by former SMU basketball student-athlete Jonathan Wilfong and uses the power of sports to promote childhood literacy. Since its founding, the nonprofit has helped resource and inspire more than 139,000 children to read, engaged 691 athletes and 515 teams, and generated $2.1 million in literacy grants.

Glass, an SMU graduate, is an Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestselling author. His newest book, Codename Lionel, tells the true story of Grand Prix champion Robert Benoist, who became a secret agent and resistance fighter in Nazi-occupied France. Glass' work and involvement in the tour are part of a broader effort to introduce stories of courage and leadership to the next generation while encouraging young people to become lifelong readers.

Additional Read Like a Champion Tour stops at Dallas-area schools will be announced at a later date. Want to get involved? Email info@runperunarun.com.