Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Chicago Bears player Israel Idonije say they'll jump into Lake Michigan this winter if Chicago children read 2 million books this summer.
The mayor, Idonije and Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon issued the friendly challenge on Wednesday to children in the "Rahm's Readers" program. They say they'll take the Chicago Polar Plunge on March 2 if the children read 2 million books. Last summer, "Rahm's Readers" read 1.5 million books.
Emanuel says jumping in the icy lake "gives new meaning to the phrase 'reading is cool.'"
Rahm's Readers runs from June 17 through Aug. 10 and is privately funded through the Chicago Public Library Foundation. The polar plunge benefits Special Olympics.
Copyright The Associated Press
