A novel idea
A 2001 children's story, called "Beatrice's Goat" inspired students at Olive-Mary Stitt School in Arlington Heights to become supporters of Heifer International, a world hunger organization.
Students there just wrapped up a two-month program called "Read to Feed," in which they drew pledges for their outside reading to purchase an animal for another family, like Beatrice's, to sustain them and provide income.
What started out as a goal of raising $500, or enough to buy a cow for a Third World family, wound up surpassing $7,000, enough to purchase 36 animals.
Suzy Rabbat, school librarian, pitched "Read to Feed" as a reading motivation and service learning program to school administrators and the PTA. She also approached the Arlington Heights Sunshine Rotary Club, which donated $300 to launch the program.
"After going through all the log sheets, we figure that students read more than 1,100 books over the nine-week program," Rabbat says.
In Beatrice's book, an impoverished girl from Uganda dreams of going to school, but her family cannot afford it. When Heifer International officials present them with a goat, it produces enough milk to sustain the family and provides a source of income, enabling them to send Beatrice to school.
The story helped provide a visual image for students of Heifer's mission, which is to offer livestock, training and other resources to hungry families so they can feed, house and clothe themselves.
First-grader Ryan Buch of Arlington Heights was so moved by the story, he went home and gathered his own money to add to his pledges. He contributed the money he had been saving for a computer game chip, and even money from the Tooth Fairy.
"I care a lot for animals, and for people who need things," Ryan said.
His classmates, agreed, adding that reading was one way they could help.
"I'm the kid who usually gets in trouble because I read too much," said fourth-grader Elai Kobayashi-Solomon of Arlington Heights. "So I read a little more than usual."
Within the first two weeks, students had collected enough to purchase their first animal, a goat, which they requested Heifer officials present to a family in Uganda.
Principal Marybeth Anderson made morning announcements every time they had raised enough money to purchase another animal, while assistants tracked the animals and their destinations on a large world map posted in the school's commons area.
"That was so much fun, guessing what kind of animal it was," Ryan said.
Fifth-grader Sheila Naughton of Arlington Heights thought so much of Heifer's mission that she has decided to "pass it on." She has purchased livestock animals for her grandmother and aunt for Christmas presents.