“And they like books, too; Say goodbye to reading, writing and arithmetic. The new program making a buzz at school focuses on reading and a new Rrunning.”

Rose Avenue Public School sits smack in the middle of one of the poorest sections of Toronto's tough inner-city core.

With no green space, and barely a hint of sky visible because of the 21 high-rises that tower above this St. James Town school, most of the 810 kids enrolled here spend their lives in two settings: classroom and apartment.

“And they like books, too; Say goodbye to reading, writing and arithmetic. The new program making a buzz at school focuses on reading and a new Rrunning.”

Rose Avenue Public School sits smack in the middle of one of the poorest sections of Toronto's tough inner-city core.

With no green space, and barely a hint of sky visible because of the 21 high-rises that tower above this St. James Town school, most of the 810 kids enrolled here spend their lives in two settings: classroom and apartment.

An estimated 30,000 people - hailing from more than 100 countries, and speaking 160 different languages - live in the school's catchment area. They are crammed into an area of less than one-quarter of a square kilometre, which leaves little room for kids to run or play. It's into this bursting-at-the-seams melting pot that two elite athletes marched last month to launch an after-school program called the Running and Reading Club, which aims to shake up the relatively narrow world these kids inhabit by injecting some fun, simple exercise and good books – all with the intent of boosting their collective confidence.

The two-year-old program - already in operation at seven other Toronto-area schools, and poised to go national later this year - is the brainchild of former Olympian Silvia Ruegger, 45, who competed in the 1984 Los Angeles games in the marathon. (She came in eighth at those Olympics, and still holds the Canadian women's marathon record at 2:28.36.)

Ms. Ruegger's right-hand woman in the after-school program is Alison Wiley, 42, and the mother of two young children, who came second in the world cross-country championship in Gateshead, England, in 1983. Together, this indefatigable pair - along with more than 70 dedicated volunteers - have created a program that has waiting lists everywhere it is found. And they're now getting inquiries from educators in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the Maritimes, exploring the possibility of establishing Running and Reading Clubs in schools in those provinces' most impoverished and needy locations.

Late last month, about 55 Rose Avenue children from Grades 1 to 3 were practically buzzing with excitement at the prospect of meeting an Olympian - and having the chance to burn off some steam. Once Ms. Wiley and Ms. Ruegger divided the bunch into roughly seven groups, the kids started doing laps around the gym. Their year-end goal is to run a five-kilometre race.

Then they did more calisthenics (sit-ups, skipping rope, push-ups and other exercises) until snack time. After eating, the focus switched to reading - with each child jotting notes in a journal and learning a motivational word for the day. This particular day, the word was "goal" and so Ms. Ruegger explained how she set her sights on reaching the Olympics when she was just a little girl.

Rose Avenue's principal, Jim Kormos, said the weekly program is ideal for kids such as these because "it's not just about developing confidence but also [about] building character."

Added Michelle Young, a Grade 2 teacher who describes herself proudly as "a lifer" at Rose Avenue, "many of these children don't do anything outside of the gym. They don't play outside. And on rainy days it's absolutely brutal. In many cases, the children's parents work two jobs, so they can't be home with them after school to supervise outside play."

The Running and Reading Club offers these children - who have to sign up to participate - the same simple pleasures many others take for granted, Ms. Wiley said.

The program was launched in September, 2004, when Ms. Ruegger kicked off the first two-hour session at Chester Le Junior Public School in Scarborough. Since then, she has established the Running and Reading model in six Toronto schools, as well as at one school each in Guelph and Hamilton. By the end of 2006, Ruegger and Wiley aim to have programs established in Vancouver and Calgary as well.

The strength of Running and Reading lies in its volunteers, who range in age from late teens to early 60s and come from all walks of life. Among their numbers are lawyers, insurance brokers, police officers, accountants, university students, retired teachers and an author.

Toronto novelist Marnie Woodrow, whose most recent book is Spelling Mississippi, has been a volunteer since September, 2005, working out of Regent Park Duke of York, another inner-city school.

"Initially, I went because I have a real passion for literacy," Ms. Woodrow said. "I had a great deal of difficulty reading, myself, when I was small. But I also wanted to work with kids who need a break - and they're fantastic. I leave there on a cloud every week, because they really love it."

And the kids expect you to show up, she added. "I had to miss a couple of weeks, at one point, because I was finishing my book and was on deadline. They just gave me hell when I came back. The commitment is good for everybody - me and them."

The idea for Running and Reading came about after Ms. Ruegger met Brian Warren, a former Toronto Argonaut linebacker and founder of KidsFest Canada, a national charity dedicated to enriching the lives of young Canadians who live below the poverty line.

Ms. Ruegger was feeling restless, and Mr. Warren - who fixates on statistics such as the fact that since 1996 one-third of all children in Canada have been exposed to poverty for at least one year - asked if she had ever considered using her running skills in mentoring underprivileged kids.

Running and Reading now operates as part of KidsFest, which also provides school children with fully equipped backpacks at the start of the school year, has a high-school assistance program and supports summer-long academic camps. (The cost of the Running and Reading initiative is covered primarily by corporate sponsors.)

At the end of each program - which typically begins in September and wraps up in June - participating kids are bundled into school buses that take them north of the city to the site of the five-kilometre race. This year, 300 runners are expected to compete.

Ms. Ruegger said it's exhilarating to see these children, who could barely run for two minutes at a time at the start of the school year, cross the finish line.

"If you can accomplish a run, it gives you power. It gives you energy. It gives you motivation to go after things in life."