Colonial’s elementary students read more than 82,900 minutes to raise money for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House

Elementary students across Colonial School District took to reading to raise money for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Together, children from Plymouth Elementary, Whitemarsh Elementary and Colonial Elementary read more than 82,900 minutes — and raised more than $18,000 — to help families with seriously ill children during the 2018 Read for the House. “Read for the House is a great community service project,” said Tracy Blannett, Library Media Specialist at Plymouth Elementary. “From our perspective, we want children to read. It didn’t matter what you were reading. You could read any book or even read with an adult, so I think that encourages kids to get involved.”

Forrest Pomager, a first grade student at Plymouth Elementary, read for 5,400 minutes and enjoyed reading the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid as part of the program. “Reading is helpful,” said Forrest. “I liked reading to help kids get better, and reading [every day] helps with my fluency. So I like two things about it.”

Students interested in participating in the program received a packet with a pledge sheet, a calendar they could use to document how many minutes they read each day for a month, and a brochure about the program. The money they raised will support the services that the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald house provides for families of seriously ill children while they’re being treated at Philadelphia hospitals. The Houses offer secure guest rooms, home-cooked meals, transportation to the hospital, children’s play areas and other assistance.