Fat Cats Book Club is a Joburg-based book club whose members are mostly recreational athletes. The book club has 35 core members based in different provinces around the country. It has been running for five years and boasts a number of socially-impactful initiatives. Most close to my heart is the recent memorial run done in honour of the late well-known Advocate Maru Moremogolo, who was known as ‘The Reading Runner’ among other terms of endearment and admiration.

Here, the late Advocate Maru is pictured on the cover of the highly revered ‘Modern Athlete’ Magazine, reading a book while running a race. I personally think he left a gold medal legacy because of his work in conscientising society generally, and the sports community specifically, about the importance of reading and assisting young readers struggling to access books.

I believe the legacy of this runner is what has made me passionate about advancing literacy through sport. Even though I never got to meet him personally, his posts on Facebook and Twitter made me want to join Fat Cats Book Club.

Adv. Maru also founded Literacy4Life which collects books and distributes them to needy beneficiaries. Most recently they have distributed books to St Vincent’s Children’s Home, Ponelepelo Reading Club Library in Matoks, and Mamali Sikhhwivhilu Primary.

For Adv. Maru’s memorial run this year on 21 May, each runner was asked to bring a book to donate, and numerous boxes were collected.

Fat Cats Book Club and Literacy for Life are available on all social media platforms, but most importantly, the legacy of the ‘Reading Runner’ has inspired a generation who are now doing their best to advance literacy through sport.

Tell us: How do you combine two loves in your life?