Jaylen Clark handed out children’s books to over 200 students at Benjamin E. Mays IB World School in St. Paul Tuesday morning from the back of the Wolves mobile book store “the education station.”
Clark is usually known for his passion for the Wolves and brought the same energy in delivering a message to the students.
“Dream big, enjoy life…” Clark urged. “Chase whatever you feel like chasing at this age. Anything is possible. People put restrictions and tell you can’t be this, you can’t be that. Not at this age. Let them be kids.”
Jaylen Clark(@jayl7en) on advice he would give to the students.
“Dream big, enjoy life… chase what ever you feel like chasing at this age, anything is possible. People put restrictions and tell you can’t be this, you can’t be that, not at this age, let them be kids” pic.twitter.com/ncVE9fhu3b
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 25, 2025
Clark is coming into his own with the Timberwolves after spending his entire first season recovering from an Achilles tear. Now that he’s getting more minutes on the court, he is also prioritizing having more of an impact in the community.
He spoke on why giving back is so important to him, even after a tough loss in Indiana and flying into Minneapolis late last night.
“These kids look up to us in a sense,” said Clark. “Just to be able to inspire them and show them there’s a path to be able to live out your dreams… me being a figure in this community, I just want to show the kids it’s possible.”
Jaylen Clark on taking time to give back to the community
“These kids look up to us in a sense, just to be able to inspire them and show them there’s a path be able to live out your dreams… me being a figure in this community I just want to show the kids it’s possible” pic.twitter.com/E3uhzItIyT
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 25, 2025
In addition to not limiting yourself and dreaming big, Clark spoke on the importance of reading.
“I used to be buried in books when I was their age,” he said. “This is super dope promoting education. That’s all what I’m about, what my family is about, and it’s been great.”
Jaylen Clark on the importance of reading
“I used to be buried in books when I was their age… this is super dope promoting education, that’s all what I’m about, what my family is about and it’s been great”#BringTheNice pic.twitter.com/XKWwfOcYME
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 25, 2025
Before passing out the free books courtesy of Playworks and Xcel Energy, Clark, accompanied by Crunch, surprised students at a gathering in the gym. He brought boxes of books for their “little free library,” which the school was recently awarded.
Crunch and @jayl7en (Jaylen Clark)
bringing the books to the gym to surprise students at Benjamin E. Mays IB World School in St Paul.
PS Crunch is alot more sneaky than Jaylen. #bringthenice pic.twitter.com/RR6aOMSl3T
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 25, 2025
Clark and Crunch joined students as a staff member read Crunch’s favorite book, which depicts the true story of the big bad wolf and three pigs. A story in which they are referred to as porkers at one point.
Clark sat with students during the tale and watched as Crunch acted out each act. After the story, students from the crowd were picked to answer questions about the tale and rewarded with prizes from Clark personally. He also disclosed Cat in the Hat was his favorite book.
As students eagerly answered questions around the story and running, sometimes baseball sliding, towards Clark for their prizes, teachers started to corral students to head outside.
After the main event in the gym, it was Clark’s time to shine. He interacts with students, helping them pick books out from the bookmobile. Clark gave students who couldn’t enter the trailer due to physical handicaps the book they chose. Afterward, he spoke about being able to help younger students.
“The little ones are hilarious,” he said. “I love dealing with little kids because they just so energetic. They say whatever. They tell you how they feel.”
Jaylen Clark on the students of Benjamin E. Mays IB World School
“The little ones are hilarious, I love dealing with little kids because they just so energetic, they say whatever, they tel you how they feel”
On helping 200+ students
“That was way more kids than I was planning… pic.twitter.com/aJLBAKamPK
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 25, 2025
After all the dust had settled and Clark and Crunch had packed up the bookmobile, the quietness of the parking lot became apparent as I walked back to my car. In the silence, it dawned on me. If one student decided to read a little bit more because of meeting Clark, he could have changed the outcome for someone.
A research project at Berkeley lays out the importance of reading for pleasure at the age of the students Clark met.
“We discovered that reading for pleasure in early childhood was linked with better scores on comprehensive cognition assessments and better educational attainment in young adolescence,” it reads. “It was also associated with fewer mental health problems and less time spent on electronic devices.”
The study explained that reading in grade school children affected overall intelligence. These benefits of reading for fun were seen regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity.
Therein lies the importance of being a professional athlete. They can directly affect the outcomes of children by being a role model or spending time with them. Clark can alter their lives by taking the time to be with children and encouraging them to read. Children are impressionable, and it’s hard not to think Clark’s infectious smile and excitement didn’t affect them.