Anything and everything! From comics to newspapers, graphic novels to being read to, at home or at school, all minutes count! But only starting September 14 and ending September 25. Minutes read prior to September 14 and after September 25 will not be counted.

The money raised through the Read-a-thon will benefit students at seven WCSD schools. Specifically, at your school, WCEF funds salaries and academic programs including TK-5 art, music, science lab, and libraries; and at Tice Creek and WCI additional electives, and a district credentialed librarian. None of these programs exist in our schools without your donations to WCEF.

Yes, we are still fundraising to meet our $1.6 million goal. If you have not yet made your tax-deductible annual contribution to WCEF this school year, please click here to donate: https://www.wcefk12.org/donate.html. The suggested donation is $825 per student or $69 a month.

Key dates for the Read-a-thon are:

• By September 14: Create your PledgeStar account to win prizes at https://pledgestar.com/wcef/ and start fundraising. All students who raise $150 will be entered to win a gift card!
• September 14: Read-a-thon kicks off! Bring your favorite book to school on Sept. 14 to share with your class.
• September 14-25: Each day log your student’s minutes read in Pledgestar.
• September 30: Read-a-thon pledges are due.

Here’s what you need to know about the Read-a-thon, how to participate, and how it works:

• The Read-a-thon runs from September 14-25.
• To get started, go to https://pledgestar.com/wcef/ and create your student's pledge profile. You can also use the link in the Read-a-thon invitation email sent from WCEF to register or download the app here.
• Use the instructions provided while registering to have your student reach out to friends, family, and neighbors to sponsor their reading. See below for details on what and who this fundraising effort benefits.
• Sponsors will make a donation to the Read-a-thon in honor of your student. All tax benefits are for the donor only.
• Your student can kick off the Read-a-thon by bringing their favorite book to school and reading it for minutes.
• Then, keep your child reading: Check out books from your school’s library, download audio books, re-read a favorite, read the latest issue of a magazine or newspaper—your student can read whatever they can get their eyes on!
• Have or help your student log their DAILY reading minutes in Pledgestar. (Optional: If your student is reading many different materials, print out this handy reading log to help track their progress and easily enter into Pledgestar at the end of the day.) We also created a BINGO challenge to win prizes.

The more your student reads, the more opportunities they have to win! Daily leaderboards, incentives, and school competitions will help encourage your student to continue reading. There are also prizes to win for the Read-a-thon overall (see below for details on what and how to enter to win).

To register with PledgeStar and set up your student’s pledge profile and reading tracker:

• Go to: https://pledgestar.com/wcef/
• Click “Not Registered for This Year’s Event”—If you have previously registered for a Pledgestar event, you will still need to click on this link as this is a new event.
• Enter your name and email address and click “Submit”
• Follow the instructions to register your student(s).
• You can also review the steps by viewing this PDF of the instructions.

To log reading minutes:

• After you have registered your student, look to the right of their name, and you’ll see the words “Reading Log.” Click on the book icon — their minutes get recorded here. Add the book title in the “Activity” section.
• Remember to log minutes every day, starting September 14 (and including) thru September 25.
• You can also watch this short video to see how it's done.

How to add sponsors/request donations from friends and family:

• In the “Add Family & Friends + Track Donations” section, enter the name and email address (or phone number) of anyone you’d like to invite/think might be willing to donate.
• When finished, the system emails pledge requests to your family and friends, and allows them to make secure credit card donations online via PayPal. You’ll receive a notification each time a pledge is made. Track the pledge progress via your student’s PledgeStar profile.
• You must add at least one sponsor's information and sent that one pledge request in order to generate a student's fundraising page, and create a "Donate Now" button under the list of "Donation Requests Sent." Once the first pledge request has been sent, you can send more, of course, by adding sponsors' information and sending the requests from PledgeStar. Or, you can right click on the Donate Now button and copy that link to the student's fundraising page, then send the link out in your own emails.
• For sponsors who want to write a check, please make the check payable to WCEF and mail to P.O. Box 186, Walnut Creek, 94597. In the notes section, write student name and school so we can accurately credit your child.

Fundraising is a very important aspect of the Read-a-thon, but not the only objective. The objective of the Read-a-thon is to read. Students are not fundraising based on minutes read; sponsors can pledge any amount they wish. For students able to raise funds, here are some suggested targets:

Fundraising goals:

• Overall event fundraising goal: $210,000
• Goal per student: $100
• Fruit roll-up parties for the two classes per district with the most funds raised and minutes read
• Every student who raises $150 is entered into a raffle to win a gift card

It is important to note that we recognize that some students will not have the ability to make financial contributions or raise funds. This does not preclude them from entering or being successful in the (fun) competition.

PledgeStar charges a flat fee of $1,195 to host the Read-a-thon. Unlike many other event fundraising companies, PledgeStar does not take a percentage of funds raised. WCEF strives to keep expenses to a minimum to ensure your donations support our schools. Expenses for last year's event were less than 3%.

Schools offer prizes that will motivate students and families to participate, read, and, if appropriate, fundraise. Please look for information on this from your school and student’s teacher.

WCEF will offer the following awards:

• If you create a Pledgestar page by September 14, you are automatically entered to win Family Pizza Night. Winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the Read-a-thon.
• Each student who raises $150 earns a chance to win a prize.
• Fruit roll-up parties for the two classes per district with the most funds raised and minutes read.
• Plus, your school principal has created special school-wide incentives and prizes. Look for the email with all the details!

Prizes are determined by reading minutes and funds raised. Your student doesn’t have to read a certain number of minutes to participate. However, the more they read, the more opportunities they have to win! See above for prize information and how to be entered to win.

WCEF and your school site parent group (PTA, PTO, PTSA, PERC) are different nonprofits, fund different things, yet are both essential to a strong school community. Your Read-a-thon donations support WCEF and fund salaries and academic programs like art, music, science lab, additional electives, wellness, a credentialed librarian, and more AT YOUR SCHOOL. Parent groups focus on community and events among other things. Again, both essential to creating a supportive community and academically rich education for all.

The Read-a-thon is a supplemental fundraiser supporting WCEF. Sponsor donations supporting a student’s Read-a-thon goal will be credited to the sponsor, in accordance with historical WCEF fundraising practices. If you have not yet made your annual contribution to WCEF this school year, please click here to donate: https://www.wcefk12.org/donate.html.

Yes, families and sponsors can apply to their employer to have their Read-a-thon donation matched. For more information, check Pledgestar, our matching tool here, or contact database@wcefk12.org.

Venmo is only supported on Safari when using an iPhone. Set Safari as your default browser before using Venmo. Venmo is supported on Android phones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop, API 26) or later. Android users should also use Google Chrome as the browser. If you need additional assistance, contact Pledgestar at 1-888-598-7510