Read-A-Thon To Benefit Haiti

By Tanjua Damon

The Newtown Middle School SPOKES club is looking for students to get out their books and read to help raise money to send to Haiti to build homes for the homeless.

The Read-A-Thon will take place Monday, May 7, through Thursday, May 10. It is open to the community, but participating readers must come to the middle school library in the morning from 8:45 to 9 am or after school from 3:30 to 4 pm, in order for their pages to count.

To raise money the community service group is asking participants to get donations from people to sponsor their reading efforts. Sponsors can donate four cents a page or $2 for 50 pages read.

“We’re trying to get people to read,” Erin Ruddock said. “And to raise $500 to build a house in Haiti.”

SPOKES club members want people to look at what it would be like to live without a home like many people do in Haiti.

“In Haiti people are on the streets. People live in the streets,” Ellen Binio said. “That’s just sad. They don’t have homes. Everyone should have a home.”

Besides the fact that reading helps you no matter how many times you do it, it feels good to help people, according to Andrea Minor.

“Your IQ and comprehension will go up because reading helps that,” Andrea said. “It’s good to get involved with things, so other people can have it as good as we have it.”

Something as simple as reading can help a small island build homes to live in instead of living on the streets, according to Margaret Riley.

“Reading is easy,” Margaret said. “But it’s a big deal for the people who you are doing it for. People take advantage of what we have. We have everything we need and more.”

So the SPOKES Club is asking their peers and anyone else who wishes to participate to the Read-A-Thon May 7 through May 10 to get their sponsors, 4 cents a page or $2 per 50 pages, and read.