Mom, son raise money for Guatemalan charity

LOUISVILLE -- Katie Doyle Myers and her 4-year-old son, Finn, love to read together.
So when her son asked her what it would be like to read 100 books in a day, she decided to turn that idea into a way to raise money for a Boulder nonprofit called Reading Village. Reading Village promotes literacy in Guatemala.

"I`m always trying to come up with service activities that we can do together," Doyle Myers said. "It always seems to me that he can read for hours."

She`s planning to read 100 books, heavy on the super-hero stories, to Finn on Saturday at various locations around Louisville. At 11 a.m., she`s going to read 10 of the books during the Louisville Public Library`s story hour and is inviting supporters to attend. People also can sponsor the pair, donating 5 cents to 25 cents a book.

Doyle Myers, who works for the Philanthropiece Foundation, said she talked to Finn about how not all kids have books or someone to read to them. When asked if he`s looking forward to Saturday`s reading marathon, his answer was a resounding "yes."

She said she chose Reading Village as the beneficiary because the organization is "so directly related to reading and literacy."

Reading Village provides leadership training to teens, who then lead reading activities for children in their communities. The program also provides scholarships to teens to pay for public school registration, books, transportation, uniforms and supplies.

Reading Village founder Linda Smith said the organization works in rural, Mayan communities where books are scarce, most adults are illiterate and the educational system is broken.

"But I have seen that where there is a caring person reading to children in a community, children learn to read and discover the joy of reading," she said. "Reading Village opens up the world to these children."

Along with raising money for Reading Village, Doyle Myers said she`s encouraging others to organize their own 100-book day and donate to local charities.

"It`s a way to have a really fun, meaningful day and start a conversation about giving to others," she said.

Source:dailycamera.com