Children are always told reading can be rewarding.
Little did they know their teachers and parents meant it literally.
On Tuesday students at St. Martin Elementary School learned their efforts in last year’s read-a-thon helped earn nearly $7,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Thunder Bay. It was the most money brought in of any school in Northwestern Ontario.
Paige Wilson, 12, said it was good to give back to the community.
“I think it was important because people have MS and it’s very sad that they can’t walk and they can’t talk sometimes,” the Grade 6 student said, estimating she read about 30 books to contribute to the cause.
Classmate Mitchell Bachinski said the read-a-thon was an important part of their school year.
“We need to help people with MS. Eventually, if we don’t do this, more people will get MS and we don’t want that,” he said.
Linda Adamsonm, who heads the local MS Society chapter, said the program is a national one in scope, with five schools in Thunder Bay taking part.
It’s been in existence for about 25 years and children read books, having been sponsored for the number of minutes they read or are read to by parents or friends.
“That money comes back to the MS Society and we in Thunder Bay get a quarter of what the schools receive. So we get a substantial amount that goes back to be spent in the communities where the children participate,” Adamson said.
It’s a great lesson for young minds to learn, she added.
“They’re reading and they’re helping someone. So it’s probably their first experience as volunteers and also doing something charitable for someone else.”
Students also were given an overview on MS and how the money will be spent.
“They love it, and it’s become a sort of tradition in a lot of schools. They’re done it every year for a lot of years.”
