Our rural elementary school just complete our first, very successful read-a-thon this Spring.
There are a few flexible options, but what our PTO group decided to do was give 50% back in books to the participating students and 60% in books to the library. The students were challenged to read 300 minutes over a two week period and then collect pledges from their sponsors.
190 students participated (about 30%) and they raised $9,951. The students then had about $5,000 back in books and the new media specialist can pick out library edition books with $6,000 allotted.
It was very easy to do and the kids were really excited about reading. The really nice feature was that the students who did the reading but lacked in sponsorship could still pick out one free book for themselves. Everyone was very supportive of the event since it was so educationally based.
Next year, we are planning the event in February (I love to read month) and we will be taking the cash option for that one. The kids will still get 50% in books, but the PTO will gain 30% in cash with the remaining 20% in books going to the library. We are very excited about this program. As a PTO member who ran this event, I know it can work for anyone. You can seek further information at:
www.UsborneWorld.com
or
www.ubah.com.
[ 06-08-2002: Message edited by: Rockne ]
[ 06-09-2002: Message edited by: Nadette ]</p>