ST. LOUIS, Missouri – Blues for Kids, the children’s program of the St. Louis Blues, is launching a new initiative to promote literacy in the local community.

Louie’s Little Free Library is the newest addition to Blues for Kids. The Blues and local youth hockey associations are teaming up to bring custom St. Louis Blues-themed reading nooks to community rinks.

Devon Furash, St. Louis Blues senior community development coordinator, told The Heartlander that the purpose of the new book exchange program is to increase the availability of books and promote a love of reading in the community.

Front office staff donated the books for the program. The books cover a variety of genres, including educational ones.

Book nooks will be distributed to the Maryville University Ice Rink, Centene Community Ice Center, East Alton Ice Arena, and McKendree Metro Rec Plex.

The Blues have a number of incredible programs that support children in the community. Each summer, the organization hosts In the library with Louiewith the Blues mascot.

The Blues partner with St. Louis County Public Libraries to promote reading and teach children about healthy lifestyles. Children ages 2 to 11 will learn how Louie and his friends stay healthy throughout the hockey season.

“Louie goes out and teaches kids how to score goals in life, how to stay happy and healthy and how to learn to read,” Furash said. “It’s an event every summer and hopefully there will be more next year.”

The Blues Bookworms The program is a free reading program for grades K-6 in the greater St. Louis area. The program runs from October 1 to March 31. Participating classes will receive bookmarks for each student and a Blues Bookworms poster for the class. Class and individual prizes will be available for participating teachers and students.

The future goals The program is a free and fun online course that is part of a hockey student program that uses science, technology, engineering and math to keep students engaged at home or in the classroom. Children can improve their STEM skills by participating in interactive hockey math games and other sports activities online as part of the program.

The little blues is a low-cost program that offers kids a real hockey experience and is run in partnership with the National Hockey League and the NHLPA. The six-week introduction to hockey is designed for kids who have never participated in organized youth hockey.

The Development program for girls follows the same guidelines and is available to female hockey players.

The Street Blues The program offers street hockey both during the school year and in the summer. The goal of the program is to introduce children in grades 1-8 to the sport of hockey.

The St. Louis Blues and Ameren Missouri have teamed up again for the Powerplay Goals for Kids program, marking the seventh consecutive season. Ameren Missouri donated $500 to the Super Sam Foundation for every power-play goal scored by the Blues during the 2022–23 regular season, for a total of $32,500.

The Super Sam Foundation was founded to financially close the critical research gap in the field of childhood cancer.

Save the date for the Blues for Kids Summer Soiree on Friday, September 13. Attendees will kick off the weekend with food, cocktails, live entertainment and an exclusive preview of the 2024-25 Blues season.

The Blues for Kids Golf Classic begins on Monday, September 16. Each group of three golfers will be assigned a Blues Celebrity. Golfers can look forward to premium gifts, course competitions, breakfast, post-golf awards and cocktails.

“It invites many of our sponsors and larger supporters to come out and play 18 holes with some of the players, coaches and broadcast staff. It gives you a more personal experience behind the scenes of hockey and you get to know the personalities of the Blues. Plus, you support our foundation, which in turn allows us to give back to the community each year with our grants,” Furash added.

Some of the Blues players have created their own special programs to give back to children in the community by donating tickets and suites to children and families associated with charities in the St. Louis area. For more information on the players’ programs, visit the website.