New Paradigm Glazer Academy in Detroit gets special visit from Kasper as part of 2025 Red Wings for Reading Program

DETROIT -- Marco Kasper’s smile was one of the widest in a library full of them on Friday afternoon, when the Detroit Red Wings forward visited second graders at New Glazer Academy in Detroit for the second stop of the 2025 Red Wings for Reading Program.

Presented by the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, Red Wings for Reading is a no-cost literacy program that encourages students in K-5 classrooms across the state of Michigan to increase the time they spend reading both in school and at home.

“Reading is really important,” Kasper told DetroitRedWings.com on Friday. “It develops your language and social skills.”

With that message in mind, Kasper enthusiastically read “Dino-Hockey” -- a book by Michigan-based author Lisa Wheeler -- to the students before answering their questions and helping them select new books during the charter school’s book fair.

“It’s awesome coming here,” Kasper said. “All the kids asking fun questions, teaching them about hockey in a fun way and thinking about how dinosaurs play hockey. It’s a great way of getting kids involved with hockey and great to give back to the community. It’s always fun to come to schools and read to kids.”

As part of the Red Wings for Reading Program, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation has teamed up with United Way for Southeastern Michigan to support their “My Home Library” program, which provides a set of five complimentary books to each student at schools in Southeast Michigan communities that face a lack of adequate access to reading materials.

Approximately 200 students at New Paradigm Glazer will benefit from 1,000 books on Friday. In all, this year’s program will benefit 600 total students, providing 3,000 books over three school visits.

Kasper also helped kick off this year’s Red Wings for Reading Program at Madison Elementary School in Madison Heights, Mich. on Nov. 26. For Kasper, aside from spreading the good word about reading, a highlight of his school visits is the Q&A session with the students.

“You can give better answers to the kids because the media always gets the same answers from us hockey players,” Kasper said. “There’s a lot of fun, different questions and it’s always cool.”

To learn more about the Red Wings for Reading Program, click here.