Jaguars DL Arik Armstead reads to elementary students to help promote literacy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Quite a few Jaguars player have their own nonprofit organizations to give back to the community. Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead and his wife, Mindy, started the Armstead Academic Project in 2019. The organization gives kids the resources needed to succeed.

On Tuesday, Armstead spent the morning at West Riverside Elementary reading to Ms. Lopez’s third grade class. The kids enjoyed meeting a Jaguars player while also learning from him.

“Storytime, which we’re doing today with myself started back in 2020,” Armstead said. “Been reading with kids all over the world and literacy is of the utmost importance. It’s the foundation of a young person’s education. We just want to promote literacy and make reading fun in a cool way. The kids have a great time with it and I have a lot of fun doing it as well too and now being here in Jacksonville, I will continue to do the impact work that we’ve been doing already throughout the years.”

The Armstead Academic Project says it’s “dedicated to ensuring that every student, no matter their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive, the Armstead Academic Project provides youth with positive spaces, tools, and academic support to unlock their potential and achieve their goals.”