By Geena Monahan—For The North Star Reporter
Malcolm Mitchell, a former New England Patriot-turned-author, wrapped up his “Read with Malcolm” tour of 15 local elementary schools with a celebration of second graders from each school on Oct. 22 at Patriot Subaru of North Attleborough.
Mitchell visited all five of North Attleborough’s elementary schools that week to read from his book “The Magician’s Hat” and share a message that reading can change lives. Through his partnership with Patriot Subaru, 1,000 books were donated to students at each school – a gift Mitchell hopes will start a lifelong love of reading.
“To me, there’s nothing greater than the power of reading. This tool has electrified my ability to be productive in society, and I know I’m not the only one who struggles,” said Mitchell. “I took my personal experience and tried to share that with everyone I could possibly share it with. That’s how the Share the Magic Foundation came about.”
That struggle – and how he overcame it – was the driving force behind Mitchell’s foundation, born during his years studying at and playing football for the University of Georgia. It was during this time he realized he had never voluntarily read a book in his life, and that his reading level was below that of his classmates.
Mitchell, who now has two published books and a third on the way, wrote his first book while still in college and traveled to schools around Georgia with a tagline of “Read to Succeed.”
“It started off as this desire to feel less inferior in the classroom,” said Mitchell. “From there it stemmed to, how do I enhance my ability to acquire information?”
Mitchell has teamed up with Patriot Subaru and received financial backing for his charity from the company’s Share the Love program. This has helped his foundation grow from five schools visited in Massachusetts in 2018 to 16 this year – including, for the first time, a high school.
“If we really want to have change, it requires commitment. It’s a long-term relationship — inspiring a community to read is not a one-year thing,” said Mitchell.
Patriot Subaru has raised nearly $400,000 for Mitchell’s foundation, and Managing Partner Mark Perryman said his whole team looks forward to participating in the book tour each year. Five additional elementary schools in the area have already signed on for 2026, and Perryman has set a goal to reach 30 in the near future.
“We share his mission and believe that people can truly transform who and what they can become, and the critical time to start that is right in the second grade,” said Perryman.
One way Mitchell and Perryman hope to inspire the local youth is through a special event held at Patriot Subaru on the last day of the book tour. Two students from each of the 15 elementary schools are honored with a dinner, a certificate of recognition and a gift bag from the Patriots. Students are chosen by their teachers based on the effort they’ve shown and the growth they’ve made as readers.
Among those honored this year were Martin Elementary School second graders Hayden Haire and Gwen Stuart, who sat side by side in the front row and told The North Star Reporter their favorite part was when Mitchell came to their school and read his book aloud.
“This event is a culture builder in our schools,” said Martin Principal Andrew Benharris, who attended alongside Assistant Superintendent Peter Haviland and Superintendent John Antonucci. “Using community outreach to have community members come and read to students brings the whole school together.”
A highlight of the night was a $43,600 check presentation by the Patriot Subaru team to continue support for Mitchell’s foundation.
To Mitchell, spreading the joy of reading is his way of empowering all children while instilling hope for the future.
“Reading says ‘I don’t care where you’re from, I don’t care what you’ve gone through,’” said Mitchell. “Read, and I’ll show you all that the world has to offer. And by showing you all the world has to offer, I’m showing you all you have to offer.”