This past Thursday, March 2, marked the 20th annual "Read Across America Day," a nationwide celebration that encourages all adults to promote reading among children. The Chiefs are founding supporters of the program.

Once again sponsored by the National Education Association, "Read Across America Day" coincides with the 113th birthday of famed children's author, Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel.

Members of the Chiefs organization, including Chiefs ambassadors and wide receivers Chris Conley and Jeremy Maclin, visited more than 20 schools in the Kansas City metro area on Thursday to read to students.

"I think [reading is] a lost art today, sometimes with the youth with so many electronics and so many different ways that kids like to spend their free time," Maclin, who spent the afternoon at Operation Breakthrough, said. "I think reading is definitely important. It gives kids knowledge. It gives kids basically another way to pass time...It doesn't always have to be a book, but just reading helps sharpen kids' minds."

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Maclin chose to read the story, "Kansas City Chiefs ABCs and 1-2-3s," which prompts the children to cheer, "Let's Go Chiefs!" at the end of each page.

"[The book] is about K.C. Wolf, about the organization, about the whole Chiefs Kingdom," he said. "We're in a tough game and the Chiefs support kept on it—having those guys fight and eventually they came out on top."

The mission of***Operation Breakthrough**** is to provide a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and to empower their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education.*