Redskins rookies Devin Thomas and Fred Davis were at Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts & Sciences on Tuesday to congratulate students for winning the "Redskins Reading Challenge Powered by Scholastic Book Fairs."

As part of the contest, students in kindergarten through third grade at Bailey's Elementary School read 70,452 books in 45 days. They had to record how many books they read from Oct. 1-Nov. 14.

Overall, 7,354 students in the Washington, D.C., region took part in the contest. They read a total of 276,055 books during the time frame--an average of 38 books per student.

Thomas and Davis also read books to the students during the assembly--including the children's book "Michael Recycle"--and later held a Q&A session at the Fairfax-based school. The event was hosted by the Redskins Charitable Foundation.

In conjunction with the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive Thinkfinity.org digital learning platform, 350,000 Redskins Read activity books filled with games, puzzles, trivia, and other activities for youth in grades K-6 have been distributed to area branch libraries, elementary schools, after school centers, and literacy centers in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

The Redskins Charitable Foundation, the nonprofit philanthropic arm of the team combines the influence and popularity of the Washington Redskins with the resources and assets of Washington-area corporations.

Founded by Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder, the Charitable Foundation is guided by its Leadership Council that consists of CEOs who help shape and define the philanthropic efforts of the Redskins to achieve a measurable impact on youth development in the areas of education, community outreach, and health and wellness.