By Mickinley Briggs
The Tony Finau Foundation Literacy Center is a vibrant space tucked behind an elementary school in West Valley, Utah with walls covered in colorful murals of the alphabet and quotes encouraging kids to read, dream, and imagine. On a sunny afternoon in March, that space came to life in a new way as Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals players stepped inside, excited to read!
Following training, players from both clubs visited the literacy center to read with two groups of kindergarteners.The visit marked the club’s second year partnering with the center, continuing a growing relationship rooted in one of Real Salt Lake’s core values: to lead and inspire Utah culture by bridging the community through sport.
Inside the center, the energy was immediate. Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Max Kerkvliet’s booming voice carried across the room as he read I Didn’t Do That, A Little Princess Story, bringing each character to life with animated expressions and playful voices. Utah Royals midfielder Aria Nagai joined in the fun, joking with the 5-and-6-year-olds, asking them to vote on who had the better storytelling voice. What might have been a simple 10-minute reading session quickly turned into a memorable experience, for both the kids and the players.
Inspiring the Next Generation
For many of the players, the visit was about more than just reading, but about representation, connection and showing young kids what’s possible.
“I think representation is really important,” Nagai said. “Having someone that looks like you in a role that you hope to pursue in the future... It gave me a goal to strive for. So I hope that in some capacity, I can be a mentor for people now.”
The sentiment was echoed by Paulina Kahn, a Literacy Specialist for Granite School District, who emphasized the impact of exposure for the students the center serves.
“The center is housed next to a Title I school, which means over 60% of our kids are low income,” Kahn said. “They don't always have an opportunity to go to a game, so seeing athletes from different backgrounds, who turned something that they love and made it into a career really opens the door for them to dream bigger.”
The Power of Literacy
At its core, the visit highlighted the importance of education, something many players are passionate about beyond their careers on the field.
“I hope that by doing the readings, we can show them that reading can be fun and exciting,” Nagai said. “And that enjoying school is really important.”
Real Salt Lake defender Phillip Quinton added,
”I hope the takeaway is that we value education, and the opportunity to read...and I hope we're able to provide some insights into our lives and how we made it here.”
The players also reflected on their own childhood favorites with Nagai recalling The Magic Tree House series and Quinton naming Where the Wild Things Are, small but meaningful reminders that their journeys started in places not so different from the students they were reading to.
Building Community Through Sport
The Tony Finau Foundation Literacy Center is about far more than books. Its mission is to transform existing spaces into vibrant learning hubs, providing literacy education alongside critical community resources.
“At the literacy center, we do many things—not just teach reading,” Khan explained. “We help the community with diapers, food, and health access to free clinics. But our goal is literacy...I hope that what the takeaway is, is that our kids need an adult to read to them...Just take a moment, one day out of the week, to read to a child, because we know already that reading helps the child learn about different cultures, different countries, different opportunities.”
For Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals, the partnership was a natural fit. Per Community Relations Coordinator Rachel Jaclin, the club is intentional about aligning with organizations that reflect its values.
“Tony Finau is an athlete himself, so the fact that he has a literacy center—that’s someone we want to align with,” Jaclin said. “An athlete that is taking their own success and giving back to build something like this."
Looking Ahead
As the afternoon wrapped up, the visit concluded with a Q&A session with soccer players from Cottonwood High School, extending the impact beyond young readers.
While the players will return to the pitch, the effects of their visit will last longer, carried forward in the excitement of a child picking up a book, the confidence to dream a little bigger, and the reminder that even small moments of connection can leave a lasting mark.
For those looking to get involved, the message from the literacy center is simple: take time to read with a child. It’s a small act that can open up a world of possibilities.
Learn more about the Tony Finau Foundation’s initiatives at: https://www.tonyfinaufoundation.org/initiatives
