When Grant Lewis '07, one of the top defensemen to ever play Big Green men's hockey, left Dartmouth after his senior spring term, he planned on competing in the National Hockey League. But Lewis, the highest drafted player in the ECAC Hockey League in the 2006-07 season, is still working to make it as a mainstay in the major league after officially signing with the Atlanta Thrashers. The former first-team All-Ivy and All-ECAC defenseman is currently playing for the Chicago Wolves, Atlanta's affiliate in the American Hockey League.
But Lewis' stint in the minor leagues has given Lewis the opportunity to do more than just develop his hockey skills -- he is reaching out to the greater Chicago community as well.
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, Lewis and Harvard alumnus Steve Martins visited libraries in the Chicago area as part of the Wolves' "Read to Succeed" program, sponsored by Borders Booksellers.
When Lewis joined the Wolves in 2007, he asked to get involved with the team's community service program. Tuesday presented Lewis with his first opportunity to do community outreach with the team.
The goal of the Wolves' reading program is to encourage children to visit their local libraries and develop a passion for reading. Using their position as professional athletes and role models, Wolves players such as Lewis speak to the young attendees about the importance of reading, while highlighting the various resources available in the library systems.
For Lewis, his goal is to be another voice trying to encourage young children to read, even when they hear similar advice from parents on a regular basis.
"The kids look up to the guys on the team," he said. "[Read to Succeed] is just another voice, which can always help."
Lewis talked about his own childhood and stressed the value of a good education to the children at the events.
"I tried to instill in kids' minds the importance of education and academics," he said. "I tried to let them know that while school's not always the most fun at times, it's worth it and it will pay off one day."
The children who came to Lewis' events set personal reading goals, and participants who reach their objective have the opportunity to earn prizes like Wolves' team merchandise and tickets to a Wolves home games. Kids could also win raffle prizes and get autographs from Lewis at the Homewood and Acorn libraries.
"It was a lot of fun," Lewis said. "The kids always love it. We're on the ice most the time, and the fans are in the stands, so it's nice to get one-on-one with the fans."
Read to Succeed reaches over 30,000 children in the Chicago area, and the program has reached over 400,000 participants in 13 seasons.
Lewis, who hails from Upper Saint Clair, Pa., is one of eight defensemen on the Chicago roster. He has played in 14 games this season, notching four assists and eight penalty minutes with a plus-two on-ice rating for the season.
Lewis had a season-high two points, including a helper on the game-winning goal, in a 4-3 victory at Hamilton on Nov. 10, 2007.
Chicago is currently second in the AHL's West division of the Western Conference with a record of 25-9-1-0, good for 51 points. The Wolves sit behind the Rockford IceHogs in the division, but are tied with the Philadelphia Phantoms as the fourth-highest scoring team in the entire league. Defensively speaking, the team is also in the top half of the AHL in goals allowed.
Lewis puts the Wolves in the top tier of the league, adding that Chicago could be poised for a deep playoff run later on.
"Skill-wise, we have the best team in the league, and I think everyone knows that, to be honest," he said.
Lewis participated in the Thrashers' training camp, but he was hampered by a hip injury and was forced to forgo a chance to play in one of Atlanta's preseason exhibition games.
This year, Lewis has been happy with his development over the course of the season despite suffering from two concussions in the span of two weeks.
Martins, the other Wolves player leading the Read to Succeed program Tuesday, played for Harvard from 1992 to 1995. He was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1992, and an NCAA East first team All-American and member of the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament in addition to being Ivy League and ECAC players of the year in his 1994-5 senior campaign for the Crimson.
