Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi rewards young readers with Sacramento visit
HAZEL SHAWNTE ELEMENTARY WITH MORE ON HER VISIT. MIKE. AND BRANDI. IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN THE CAFETERIA RIGHT HERE INSIDE THOSE DOORS. JUST BEING ANNOUNCED WAS KRISTI YAMAGUCHI. RIGHT NOW SHE’S SPEAKING TO SOME PARENTS BEFORE THE BIG MOMENT WHEN ABOUT 150 STUDENTS WILL BE FILING IN HERE FOR HER TO READ TO THEM. NOW, WE WERE HERE THIS MORNING. TAKE A LOOK. AS KRISTI YAMAGUCHI ARRIVED AT THIS SCHOOL, I WAS TALKING TO THE PRINCIPAL. SHE SAYS, A REALLY FASCINATING STORY BECAUSE KRISTI YAMAGUCHI, A FORMER OLYMPIC CHAMPION, NOT FORMER, SHE IS AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION, IS ALSO THE FOUNDER OF THE ALWAYS DREAM FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT TO PROMOTE EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY. AND THIS SCHOOL HAD AN ALWAYS READING PROGRAM IN WHICH ONE OF THE TEACHERS ASKED THE PRINCIPAL, HEY, DO YOU THINK KRISTI YAMAGUCHI WOULD COME AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO READ TO THE STUDENTS AS PART OF THE CELEBRATION? THE PRINCIPAL THOUGHT IT WAS A LONG SHOT. SHE REACHED OUT AND GUESS WHAT? FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, KRISTI YAMAGUCHI IS VISITING A SACRAMENTO AREA SCHOOL TO READ TO CHILDREN AND ALL FOR ONE KEY REASON. LISTEN, IN MY OPINION, READING A. YOU KNOW IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT. I MEAN, IT’S IT REALLY IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING. IF YOU CAN’T READ YOUR YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, IT DROPS CONSIDERABLY. AND WITHOUT AN EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, THERE’S JUST THAT CYCLE OF POVERTY OF, YOU KNOW, INCARCERATION OF, YOU KNOW, SO IT’S REALLY THE KEY TO A CHILD’S FUTURE. AND BACK OUT HERE LIVE, WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN THESE CHILDREN’S FUTURE IS, WELL, ABOUT 150 MORE CHILDREN ARE GOING TO JOIN THE ONES ALREADY ON THE FLOOR HERE. AND THEN KRISTI YAMAGUCHI WILL BE READING TO THEM. HOWEVER, WE GOT TO GET ON WITH THE REST OF THE NEWS OF THE DAY. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE KRISTI YAMAGUCHI IN ACTION, READING TO THESE STUDENTS, WELL, YOU GOT TO STICK AROUND AND WATCH KCRA THREE NEWS AT NOON. BRANDI. MIKE, DID I DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB OF TEASING THE SHO
Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi rewards young readers with Sacramento visit
Updated: 10:35 AM PDT May 4, 2026
Nearly 150 young readers at Hazel Strauch Elementary School got a chance to meet Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi as part of the school’s Always Reading program year-end celebration on Monday morning.The Olympic gold medalist is the founder of the Always Dream Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes early childhood literacy by providing resources and support for children and their families, according to a news release. Yamaguchi, who read aloud to the students in the school’s cafeteria, told KCRA 3 that she is hopeful students are inspired to read.”I mean, in my opinion, reading is a fundamental human right. I mean, it really is the key to everything. If you can’t read, your likelihood of graduation from high school drops considerably,” Yamaguchi said. “So, it really is the key to a child’s future.”This is the first Sacramento-area school Yamaguchi has visited as part of Hazel Strauch Elementary School’s Always Reading program, according to the principal.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Nearly 150 young readers at Hazel Strauch Elementary School got a chance to meet Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi as part of the school’s Always Reading program year-end celebration on Monday morning.
The Olympic gold medalist is the founder of the Always Dream Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes early childhood literacy by providing resources and support for children and their families, according to a news release.
Yamaguchi, who read aloud to the students in the school’s cafeteria, told KCRA 3 that she is hopeful students are inspired to read.
“I mean, in my opinion, reading is a fundamental human right. I mean, it really is the key to everything. If you can’t read, your likelihood of graduation from high school drops considerably,” Yamaguchi said. “So, it really is the key to a child’s future.”
This is the first Sacramento-area school Yamaguchi has visited as part of Hazel Strauch Elementary School’s Always Reading program, according to the principal.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel