Read-A-Thon FAQs

❖ What is Read-A-Thon?

Read-A-Thon is an annual Sparta Education Foundation fundraiser that raises money for our schools while encouraging and rewarding students for reading. Strong reading skills are key to educational success and our 12 days of reading gets students involved and excited about books and other reading materials.

❖ How does it work?

Read-A-Thon takes place over 12 days. During this time, students record minutes they read daily at home and solicit support in the form of donations for time read from friends and family. Donations can be “per minute” based on the number of minutes a student reads (for example, $0.10 per minute) or a one-time fixed donation. In order to win a prize, a student must have at least one sponsor and donation of any amount. 100% of the proceeds go to Sparta Education Foundation which is then directly awarded in the form of grants to Sparta Township Public Schools. If each student collects donations of $50, we will reach our fundraising goal!

❖ What reading counts? Does reading to my student count as well?

Yes, ALL reading counts, including being read to by another student or an adult. If one student reads to another student, they both get the minutes. Books, e-books, picture books, textbooks, graphic novels, magazines, and newspapers all count towards minutes. Audio books do not count.

❖ When do students begin and end logging reading time?

Students may begin logging minutes on September 23rd. Read-A-Thon ends at bedtime on Friday, October 4th.

❖ Do students have to keep track of minutes read?

Yes! Students will need to keep track of their minutes on their reading log up until October 4th, then all minutes will need to be entered into the Google Form by October 7th.

❖ Where can I get more Pledge/Reading Log pages?

CLICK HERE TO PRINT A LOG  or go to spartaeducationfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Pledge-Reading-Log.pdf .

❖ Who do we give our reading log to?

The pledge/reading log is for your convenience only. You do not have to hand this form in to the school. When the student is finished, you will enter information from the reading log onto a Google form. CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE FORM or go to https://forms.gle/WQXz7wjYHgTporak8 .

❖ How do I collect sponsors and donations?

Students can ask family, friends, and neighbors to sponsor them with a donation per minute or a one-time fixed donation. Students write the sponsor name and donation amount on the log. Sponsors pay online through the student’s personal fundraising page link, by texting the student’s unique text phrase to 71777, or by texting SpartaReads to 71777 and searching by student name.

❖ Do we need to create a fundraising page to participate?

Yes. In order to streamline the process and make donation collection easier for sponsors, students are required to create a fundraising page (for free). Once you create your page, you will receive an email with your personal page link and a unique text phrase that links to your page. Your supporters can also text SpartaReads to 71777 and search for the student by name. CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE.

❖ Where can I go to donate?

Your student can give you a link to their personal page, give you their unique text phrase to text to 71777, or you can simply text SpartaReads to 71777 and search by student name.

❖ Can I donate online for multiple students?

Of course! Simply go to each student’s fundraising page to donate, text the student’s unique text phrase to 71777 , or text SpartaReads to 71777 and search by student name.

❖ Are Read-A-Thon donations tax-deductible?

Yes, in accordance with IRS regulations, no goods or services will be provided in return for your Read-A-Thon donation.

❖ Can students win prizes?

Yes. All participating students will have an opportunity to win both reading and raffle prizes at each grade level! Winners will be announced on social media by 10/11/24. Follow us: Facebook.com/SpartaEducationFoundation