Reading what the pen has written is also mightier than the sword.
When children’s author Eric Walters visited Our Lady of the Snow’s Catholic Academy (OLS) last October he planted a kernel by simply sharing his love and passion for writing and reading with students. In addition, students learned about the Creation of Hope Charity, founded by Walters.
“The Creation of Hope creates opportunities for orphans in Kenya. Eric Walters not only instills the message of the importance of reading and writing, but also left our students feeling empowered with the idea to do more for others through his charity work,” said OLS Grade 5 teacher Lise Konik.
The OLS “Love to Read, Read to Love, Read-A-Thon” was born, with students raising a total of $4,757.
“We are so proud of the Grade 4, 5 and 6 students at OLS,” Konik said. “They took the initiative and got amazing sponsorship, from our generous community, for what they believe is a great cause. This event reaches beyond our school community, it has allowed OLS students to impact children in other parts of the world – they are making the world a better place, how amazing is that?”
The read-a-thon involved students collecting pledges from the community for their commitment to read for three hours straight in the OLS gymnasium on Friday (May 23), with money being donated to the Creation of Hope Charity.
“Students found themselves asking, ‘how can we help the Creation of Hope Charity?’ ” Konik said. “This read-a-thon was designed to reinforce good reading habits while raising money for a good cause.”
Students had to pre-pick their reading material for the day and were allowed and encouraged to get comfortable in their favourite pyjamas and blankets to curl up with a good book to make a difference in the world.
Visit, www.creationofhope.com for more information on Walter’s Creation of Hope Charity.
