There’s a great commercial right now featuring a man who goes through his daily life and keeps encountering worthy causes: a puppy from the shelter, a teenager who needs a mentor, a homeless veteran, even a polar bear whose habitat is disappearing. The point is that there are great needs all around us, but that the first step is to choose a way to help and get started.
And it’s true. Our time and our funds are both precious, and we simply cannot help every cause. But thanks to Penguin Random House’s new initiative, you can do something you love and help others in need at the same time.
Called the #ProjectReadathon Million Minutes campaign, this one week opportunity to read timed selections lets you preview great content while “earning” books that will be donated to children’s and literacy groups. The minutes you read “trigger” donations, up to 300,000 books.
“The benefit of #ProjectReadathon is that the simple act of reading can have far-reaching social impact: the more participants read, the bigger contribution they can make,” the publisher announced in a press release. “For example, reading a 20-minute excerpt unlocks a 5-book donation; an hour spent reading unlocks 20 books from Penguin Random House to Save the Children. Each excerpt on the new platform will note how many minutes will be added and how many books will be donated through the campaign. The books will go to Save the Children literacy programs, which help young students transition from learning to read to reading to learn.”
Even better, Penguin Random House has teamed up with two other charities to give you the chance to continue the giving through your regular activities. For information on the timed reading–which will take place from April 17th through 23rd–go to the #ProjectReadathon page by clicking here.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
