LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball program has partnered with Coaching for Literacy (CFL) for the third straight season, joining together in the fight against illiteracy through CFL's Assistant Coach Program.
 
Coaching for Literacy, a program that helps increase awareness about the number of people in the United States who are not functionally or totally literate, leverages the unique power of collegiate and professional sports to raise money for local literacy programs. The organization gears its efforts toward helping educate elementary and middle school students.
 
"We're excited to continue our partnership with Coaching for Literacy," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We know this program really helps to make a difference in communities across the nation by providing valuable resources to local schools and youth programs. We've seen the problems associated with illiteracy first hand, and it's important for us to help provide a solution in any way possible."
 
The UCLA men's basketball program and Coaching for Literacy will partner together on Sunday, Feb. 12, as the Bruins host Oregon State in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 2 p.m. (PT).
 
Support from programs such as UCLA men's basketball have helped Reading is Fundamental of Southern California distribute as many as 200 books for its students to take home.
 
"Without programs like Coaching for Literacy, RIFSoCal would not be able to impact as many students as we do," said Carol Henault, executive director of RIFSoCal. "We are very thankful for their effort to raise awareness about the work we do every day."
 
RIFSoCal aims to promote literacy and motivate children to read by building at-home libraries for underserved children in the greater Los Angeles Area.
 
Thanks to the support of sports teams and generous donors, Coaching for Literacy has funded over 50 literacy projects across 20 communities in 11 states. CFL's efforts have directly benefitted 7,610 children across the United States.
 
"CFL is grateful for the involvement of Coach Alford, the men's basketball program and UCLA's entire athletic department," said Ryan Viner, executive director of Coaching for Literacy. "We count it a privilege to use UCLA's platform to raise awareness about the issue of illiteracy in America."