Hello Rebel fans,

While special moments like former UNLV Rebel Adam Scott winning the Masters will be remembered by many, many people for years and years, we realize some of the memories our student-athletes make are only for one person - but that memory will last a lifetime. We hope you enjoy this special edition of "From the Desk Of" as we highlight our student-athletes and coaches who have given back to the community in recent months.

For example, valley students read a staggering 2,393,960 pages during this year's Rebel Reading Challenge (a 30-day program designed to motivate students to read). The winning 4th and 5th grade classrooms came from Reynaldo Martinez Elementary and Robert Lunt Elementary, respectively. These victories provided the students the chance to cheer on the Runnin' Rebels inside the Thomas & Mack Center at their final home game on March 9. Click here to check out their gameday experience.

Additionally, the UNLV Coaches Challenge (a four-week program aimed at motivating 2nd-5th graders to lead healthy, active lifestyles) continues to make a positive impact on the lives of valley youth. More than 13,100 students participated this year, and this healthy bunch recorded the highest point total ever for the program at 182,966 points. The four winning classrooms are scheduled to receive visits from members of our coaching staff next month.

A special thank you to SuperPawn, the Southern Nevada Health District and the CCSD School-Community Partnership Program for making these programs a reality as youth reading along with youth health and wellness, through our community outreach efforts, remain key areas of focus for our department.

Reading this community outreach update always brings a smile to my face and makes me proud. We hope it does the same for you as well. Enjoy!

For the Rebels,

Jim Livengood
Director of Athletics