Seattle Kids Surpass Readathon Goal by 40%

In May 2015, the Seattle chapter launched the Pratham USA Readathon with a kick-off party at Zeek’s Pizza in Kirkland. Community response was amazing! More than 30 kids and 20 parents attended the launch, and two-thirds of them were new to the Readathon, a fundraiser where kids in the US read books and raise money to help children in India learn how to read. As always, the newcomers were astounded to learn that, through Pratham’s programs, a $25 donation can educate one Indian child for a whole year.

Chapter volunteers assisted the young readers in creating a fundraising page online. Each child received a clipboard to personalize plus a recommended list of books for summer reading. They also made posters illustrating why they chose to participate.

Here’s what Priyal Sahai had to say: “I will be 11 years old soon, and this year, again, I have taken on the initiative to support less fortunate kids who are unable to attend school. With your help and generosity I was able to raise over $600 last year. I am aiming higher this year… it’s only fair since I am also a year older!”

The 27 enthusiastic readers surpassed our chapter goal by over 40%! Congratulations to our top three readers: Priyal, Palash and Arav.

Special thanks to Alka Manchanda and Chanda Gogna for leading the Seattle Readathon. And thanks to our launch party volunteers: Digvijay, Supriya, Tanya, Sunita, Chanda and Alka for all their help.

Want to get involved with the Readathon? Email us at readathon@prathamusa.org.