LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- It's not every day that a Super Bowl champion shows up to your school.

For the second- and third-grade students at Dr. Raphael A. Baranco Elementary School in Lafayette, that was their reality on Monday morning. Former New England Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell visited the children to read his new book "A World Within Reach."

Cox Communications partnered with Mitchell back in 2021, when he became their Digital Equity Ambassador. Cox and Mitchell made a trip around Lafayette to promote his newest children's book which finished at the Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana.

Lafayette Parish School System Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. said he is thankful to have an advocate for books come in to kick off accelerated reading for their students. 

"Any time that we come together as a community and we actually, you know, put forth the effort to make sure that we are thinking about what's best for kids, it's always a great thing," Touchet said.

The story of "A World Within Reach" follows a curious boy named Mylo Maxey. Mylo looks to learn as much as he can through reading and faces a challenge after completing every book in his library. Mylo stumbles upon a pair of goggles that helps him see the world in a different view.

Before the students arrived at the auditorium Mitchell took time to sign copies for the kids in attendance. 

Mitchell spent the rest of his time reading his book to the students of Baranco Elementary and even passed out some autographed footballs for those who paid close attention during the reading. 

This isn't a new venture for Mitchell. He launched his Share the Magic Foundation back in 2016. Since then, he's continued to share the power of literacy and reading.

"Well, the truth is, as a kid, I was a struggling reader, and I did not always understand the importance of an education," Mitchell said. "But once I got to the University of Georgia, I began to realize that reading was one of the most self-empowering tools we could possess. And through reading, I had access, and through the internet we have access to. And that's why the combination of those two things coming together is happening here in Lafayette." 

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