Thank you all! We raised $1307 for Heifer International!

Hi everyone: By getting sponsors for books they read, our children raised money to buy livestock for struggling families in other parts of the world who need an ongoing source of income. Our Read-to-Feed fund-raiser is now officially over for this year, and we have tallied all of the pledges. With 21 children (18 families) participating from across the school we raised $1307.75 to benefit the important work of Heifer International. Based on the poll results from those participating, we will ask that our contribution symbolically represent: 1 heifer (cow), 1 sheep, 1 llama, a flock of ducks and geese, a group of bees, 1 goat, 1 trio of rabbits, 1 water buffalo, and one flock of chicks! We're certain that the good folks at Heifer will use the money wisely.

Thank to everyone who participated and helped make it happen. Please look forward to participating next year in Read-to-Feed as we hope to make this an annual event at Thornton Creek. All input on how to improve the fund-raiser is encouraged.

Time for Participants to Vote for Animals!

The pledges are in and have been added up! Thornton Creek readers have raised a very impressive $1,107 for Heifer International’s Read-to-Feed program!! It really shows how contributions can add up when people pitch in for a good cause. We want to thank all of the children who participated — your pledges will help impoverished families around the world. Thanks also to the friends and families who supported the readers’ efforts.

Now it’s time for the participants to choose the animals we’d like our money to symbolically go towards. Please vote your preferences in the poll to the right by March 31st. If you want more information on the animals and their uses, check out the booklet that went home at the start of the fundraiser or go on-line to www.readtofeed.org under “animal gifts”.

Please vote only if you participated in Read-to-Feed. If you weren’t able to participate this year, we’re hoping to do it again next year! As always, questions can be directed to Judy or Phil at ruhabell@yahoo.com.

The fundraiser is now over...

Please turn in pledges to your classrooms or the office. Thanks to everyone for their participation and support!

Keep reading! The fundraiser runs through the end of the month

We hope that your child is reading up a storm as part of the Read-to-Feed charity fundraiser—a read-a-thon that raises money for impoverished families around the world.

As we approach the end of the fundraiser, please keep in mind:

• That your child should continue reading and keeping track of her/his reading until the end of February.
  
• After February 29th, your child should collect the pledges from their sponsors—in the form of checks if at all possible. Checks should be made payable to “Heifer International: Read to Feed”.
  
• Put the pledge checks into the white Read-to-Feed envelope that went home earlier in the month, and place it into the Read-to-Feed folder hanging in each classroom by March 7th.
  
• After we gather all of the pledges, all participants will decide what type of livestock we would like to buy for families in need. We plan to do this by posting an online poll on this web site.
  

World Map of Underweight Children

Here's a map from the World Mapper project. In this data visualization, territory size in the map shows the proportion of all underweight children in the world that live there. See the map page for more detail.

"Poor nutrition is implicated in more than half of all child deaths worldwide - a proportion unmatched by any infectious disease since the Black Death." Jean-Louis Sarbib, 2006

Read a book, feed a family!

What just one chicken can provide to a poor family...

We hope by now your child has decided to participate in the Read-to-Feed charity fundraiser—a read-a-thon that raises money for impoverished families around the world.

Heifer International, a non-profit organization, takes the money we earn and provides “living loans” of animals to families in need who then “repay” the loan by giving one or more of their animal’s offspring to another family in need. Did you know that starting at six months, a healthy hen can lay up to 200 eggs per year? This provides a reliable source of protein for those children who otherwise would live mostly on starches. Extra eggs can be sold to pay for school, clothes, and medicine. Just a little bit of assistance from us can make a significant difference in lives of families in another part of the world.

If you’d like to learn more about the fundraiser, please check out this web site (especially the instructions) or send your questions to ruhabell@yahoo.com.

Library Books about What Life is Like in Other Parts of the World

We hope by now your Thornton Creek child has decided to participate in the Read-to-Feed charity fundraiser—a read-a-thon that raises money for impoverished families around the world. But if you need to learn more about the fundraiser, please check out this blog and the instructions linked off on the right -- or send your questions to ruhabell@yahoo.com.

Is your child looking for book suggestions that will help her/him learn about how people live in other parts of the world? We now have a display of books in the library that might be of special interest to readers participating in the Heifer International fundraiser. You’ll find the books on shelves immediately to your right as you enter the library through the east door. We’ll continue to add new books throughout the month, so keep checking it out! (Thanks to Ken for giving us the space in the library and to Beth, mom of Lucius in room 1, for making it happen!).

The Read-to-Feed Program is Launched!

Running now through February 29, 2008

A group of parents, children, and staff have just launched the Read-to-Feed charity fundraiser at our school developed by Heifer International. Read-to-Feed functions like a Walk-a-Thon, but instead of getting pledges to walk laps, children get pledges for reading books. For nearly 60 years, Heifer has helped millions of impoverished families in 125 countries move away from poverty and toward self-reliance.

Information packets about how to participate in the Read-to-Feed fundraiser were sent home last week. We hope that students and families will consider participating. We will use this web site to provide information about the fundraiser.

If you have any questions, please email Judy Ruha and Philip Bell (parents of children in room 1 and room 8): ruhabell@yahoo.com
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Instructions for Thornton Creek Fundraiser

The Read-to-Feed charity fundraiser will start this week at Thornton Creek School. We've just posted the instructions that will be send home with all students early this week. The fundraiser will run through the end of February.

• Thornton Creek Read-to-Feed Fundraiser Instructions