Donald L. Heiter Center Plans Reading Marathon
During Lewisburg Holiday Parade

November 24, 2009

Lewisburg, Pa. – The Donald L. Heiter Community Center is looking for avid readers to participate in a reading marathon to kick off the holiday season in Lewisburg. The “Rock ‘N Read” will get started at 3:00 PM on Friday, December 4th as part of the “Late Shopper Night” in Lewisburg and continue through the annual Victorian Holiday Parade in downtown Lewisburg on Saturday, December 5th and conclude at 3:00 PM. The Twenty-four hour long reading marathon will feature sponsored readers who will read a fifteen minute passage from their favorite book or poetry while sitting in a rocking chair in the front window of the Page After Page Bookstore located on Market Street in Lewisburg.

Readers must be “sponsored” by securing a minimum pledge of $25.00 per fifteen minute time slot as a donation to the Donald L. Heiter Community Center. Readers can request a time slot for their reading with their application and pledge form. Time slots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis, according to Polly Doyle, coordinator of the event for the Heiter Center.

“We expect to be over subscribed for this event which we think will be a lot of fun in addition to focusing on literacy”, said Doyle.

Doyle said that there is already a lot of interest from the area schools as well as Bucknell University where the Pi Beta Phi Sorority has volunteered to help promote the event. “celebrity” readers have been invited to participate and Doyle said that she expects “celebrities” like Santa Claus, The Grinch and perhaps even Bucky Bison to be among the celebrities as well as local politicians and dignitaries.

Application forms and information on the Rock ‘N Read are available at area schools, businesses and at the Donald L. Heiter Center Community Center located at 100 N. 5th Street in Lewisburg.

This unique fundraising event is a first for the Donald Heiter Community Center whose after school program provides an opportunity for many area students to continue their learning experience in a safe and supervised environment.

The Donald Heiter Community Center served 4500 individuals last year through its various programs that reach out to individuals in a five county area and a population base well in excess of 30,000 people. The popular after school program serves between 88 and 111 children ages 5 to 13 in addition to adult classes, summer day camp and annual programs such as “Yellow Dress”.