Flaherty made some young readers very happy
On Thursday, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis announced that they received a surprise donation of boxes filled with thousands of books.
They came from Flaherty, and they were purchased from EyeSeeMe, a Black-owned and African American children's bookstore in University City that works to “promote literacy and a love for reading among low income households,” per its website.
“The city of St. Louis has embraced me from the beginning of my time as a professional baseball player,” Flaherty said in a statement. “We couldn’t think of a better way to give directly back to the community by supporting a local Black-owned business with the EyeSeeMe Bookstore and simultaneously donating them all to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis.
“I hope these stories and adventures will inspire the next generation, as reading held such an important part of my development. I am excited to work with both organizations in the future, and it’s an honor to support them all today.”
As Flaherty said, he was an avid reader growing up himself. Included among the donation were some of his childhood favorites, such as the Magic Tree House series and Mike Lupica’s sports novels.