Greenwich Academy students raise $20,000 for Cambodian library

Written by Greenwich Post Staff
Wednesday, 02 May 2012

John Wood got GA student support for his global Room to Read group. — Wayne K. Lin photo

John Wood, founder of global literacy organization Room to Read, spoke to the Greenwich Academy Upper School earlier this month.

Introduced by GA’s three Room to Read Club senior class presidents Caroline Granruth, Caroline Seaton and Anne Gilliland, Mr. Wood began by thanking his audience for all the volunteer work and fund raising that has gone into the project about which he came to speak.

Through schoolwide initiatives like Gator-Aid and small fund-raisers such as bake sales, the Room to Read Club was able to donate $20,000 to build a library in Cambodia.

The library, which will have a plaque that bears Greenwich Academy’s name, will be available to 500 children. Mr. Wood expressed gratitude on the part of teachers, who so urgently need books to do their work, and explained how crucial the spread of literacy is to rebuilding civil society in the wake of the Cambodian genocide.

Mr. Wood described the reach of Room to Read’s global efforts, funding and building over 1,600 schools and 13,000 libraries since its inception in 1999. The schools and libraries span several countries including Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Laos, South Africa, Zambia and Sri Lanka, and have, to date, aided in the education of nearly six million children.