Room to Read Westchester Honored in Larchmont with Proclamation

Westchester Chapter volunteers of global literacy group Room to Read got an official thumbs-up from Westchester County Legislator, Catherine Parker, during their Rally for Reading fundraiser at Larchmont Shore Club on April 10th.  Parker designated that day, April 10, 2014 as “Room to Read Westchester Day” in recognition of the volunteer chapter’s contributions.  The fundraiser drew a turnout of 130 people and included a talk by Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of “Orphan Train,” a silent auction, and luncheon.

Since it was founded in November 2010, the Westchester Chapter of Room to Read has been raising funds for global literacy and girls’ education mainly through annual author events.  Although it started off with parent volunteers, the Westchester Chapter has since become a catalyst of Room to Read student clubs and initiatives around the county engaged in fundraising and raising awareness on global literacy and gender equality in education. 

This school year, various schools and student clubs around Westchester county have joined forces under Room to Read’s Students Helping Students initiative to jointly raise $5,000 to build a library in Sri Lanka.  At the Rally for Reading event, students from Hommocks Middle School, Mamaroneck High School, and Pelham High School participated in raising funds for “bricks” for the library in Sri Lanka.  These students as well as others at The Ursuline School and Irvington High School have also been holding bake sales to raise funds for the library in Sri Lanka.  They hope to reach their fundraising goal by May 2014.  Other students interested in this grassroots initiative can make a contribution on http://roomtoread.kintera.org/general/westchestershs or join the Students Helping Students movement by registering on the Room to Read website, www.roomtoread.org.

About Room to Read Westchester Chapter and Room to Read

The Westchester Chapter of Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org/westchester), founded in November 2010, is part of global, non-profit Room to Read’s network of over 50 volunteer chapters worldwide which collectively bring in one-third of the organization’s operating budget.  Room to Read is founded on the belief that “World Change Starts with Educated Children.”  To achieve this goal, Room to Read focuses on literacy and gender equality in education, two areas where they believe they can have the greatest impact.  They work in collaboration with communities and local governments across Asia and Africa to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and support girls to complete secondary school with life skills they’ll need to succeed in school and beyond.   Since 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of nearly nine million children and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015.