Readathon Update: Bells and Whistles 50 Hour Reading Station

Readathon Update:

We are thrilled to report an exciting offer from Bells & Whistles in support of our 50 Hour Readathon the weekend of June 18-20!

In case you haven't heard about the Readathon yet, The Bookstore decided to celebrate its 50th Anniversary by hosting a 50 Hour Readathon to benefit the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center.

We have brochures at The Bookstore explaining the rules, along with Reading Logs and Pledge Forms. Sounds complicated, but it all boils down to this: (1) gather a bunch of readers, (2) read whatever you want over one weekend (June 18-20), and (3) collect some money from folks who want to support our efforts for the GECRR. The goal is for your team to reach a total of 50 hours ALL TOGETHER over the entire weekend. So it's totally doable, especially if your team is big.

You must report your results to The Bookstore by July 1st (basically two questions: how many hours? and how much money?) Every single dime of the money you collect goes to the GECRR. The Bookstore will have a Birthday Party for all of the participants at the end of the summer where we announce the awards. Free cake too!

Readathon organizers are encouraging participating teams of readers to read together on the day of the GE Bookfest (June 19th), and we've been working to select a handful of Readathon Reading Stations for the day of the GE Bookfest. One of the Rain or Shine stations will be The Bookstore window. A sign-up sheet for one-hour time slots is available at the desk.

But now we have an announcement about an even more awesome Reading Station! Bells & Whistle Snackery has stepped up to the plate and volunteered to help in a big way. And I mean a really BIG. WAY. They have offered to host a "50 Hour Reading Station" at Bells & Whistles. That's right. It actually lasts 50 hours! Bring your sleeping bags! Can't make the entire 50 hours? No biggie - any hours spent reading that weekend count, whether or not you make it to 50. You can also find a "pinch reader."

Here's the scoop: It starts at 6am on Saturday, June 19th with breakfast. They're offering 50% off all meals, free coffee and ice cream over the entire 50 Hour period, and then a free breakfast on Monday morning at the end of the Readathon! They're getting the word out to area teens and are offering to verify time spent at the Readathon for any service hours students might need for school or church. Obviously, teens will need a parent's permission to participate.

The Bookstore was so pumped up by Bells & Whistles offer that we have donated over two dozen free books to the Bells & Whistles Reading Station. We picked titles that we thought would appeal to older kids and teens, and they are free for any participants to read during the Readathon. (You can even take them home when you're done.)

To sign up for the Bells & Whistles Reading Station, e-mail them at bwsnackery@gmail.com. They will have Reading Logs and Pledge Forms at the Snackery, so you don't have to do anything but show up with your sleeping bag and a lot of spirit!

Many many thanks to Bells & Whistles for their participation in the Readathon. Partnerships like this is what our village is all about. And it's all for a good cause: the kids in our village who need a little more help to succeed. So lets do it.

For more information, call The Bookstore at (630) 469-2891.