RUEGY’S READERS ROLLS INTO VEGAS, BABY!

Take one NFL vet dedicated to seeing kids enriched by books. Add an amazing go-getter spouse who puts the Energizer Bunny to humiliating shame. Sprinkle in a hefty network of friends, family and teammates whose support has them traveling from all over the country. Blend in generous amounts of donations, volunteer time, and corporate sponsorships. Mix thoroughly, bake on high for three days in a scintillating desert environment, and whaddaya got? The 3rd Annual Ruegy’s Readers Bowling For Books.

The NFL invades the Suncoast Casino's Bowling Alley

A couple of months ago we interviewed Grey Ruegamer about his charitable foundation, Ruegy’s Readers, (RR), which supports library programs for elementary school children. Fast-forward to the last weekend in April, as the organization’s annual fundraising shindig descends upon Grey’s hometown of Las Vegas.

The festivities kicked off on Thursday evening with a private party at New York New York Hotel’s uber-hip nightclub, ROK Vegas. In the lowlit, high energy ambiance, images of Grey hanging with kids from the RR program and some awesome gridiron shots flashed across the 360-degree screen high above the crowd to classic rock tunes. Paying tribute to the RR cause were roving models fully decked out in colorful storybook character costumes. (I actually bumped into Snow White, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and Scheherazade).

Snow White waits for her prince

Friday saw the group gather at the main venue for the weekend, the Suncoast Casino. A luau-themed pool party made for a fun and relaxing time for players and friends to bag some rays and catch up on each other’s lives before Saturday’s bowling bash.

Volunteers sport some Super Bowl bling

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GREY RUEGAMER: MAKING A BIGTIME PLAY IN KIDS’ LIVES…”ONE BOOK AT A TIME”

Two-time Super Bowl champ. Book lover. Perennial prankster. Hard worker. Born educator… All solid descriptors for 10-year NFL vet Grey Ruegamer, who has blended a passion for reading, a concern for the effectiveness of elementary school education, and a forward-thinking spirit to create “Ruegy’s Readers,” a program which provides funding and support of public and private elementary school libraries, emphasizing “the significance of reading as a lifelong skill.”

Grey blocking for QB Eli Manning

PHOTO: Grey & Laurie Ruegamer

Chatting on the phone with Grey Ruegamer, it felt more like he and I were having a beer at a neighborhood bar–rather than the latter sitting in San Francisco with a laptop and the former driving around Southern California on errands. With his trademark laid-back-yet-mischievous energy, Grey filled Hugbacker in on how he and wife Laurie created Ruegy’s Readers to make a difference for elementary school children–both in his former team city of Green Bay and his hometown of Las Vegas.

Despite admittedly struggling in school early on, his athletic talent, love of sports and nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic had Grey flourishing at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he triple-lettered in football, track & field, and wrestling, going undefeated as a heavyweight wrestler in his senior year. From there he went on to Arizona State University on a full athletic scholarship, starting all four years on the Sun Devils’ offensive line.

Just as he’s known for keeping the locker room loose, the 6′5″, 299-pound, much-loved offensive lineman kept our conversation the same.

HB: [Hearing the beeping of his car starting] Do you want to get situated and get your bluetooth hooked up?

GR: Nah, I’m just gonna go phone-straight-to-the-ear. I’ve got Nevada plates and I’ll probably take some back streets, so we’re good.

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