The Room to Read Club is achieving many of its goals with great determination and lots of hard work.  The club works to spread education to others all around the world.

Two years ago, the club partnered with the Roaring Fork Valley’s adult chapter of Room to Read and raised $20,000 to build a library in Vietnam. Last year the club raised money to publish 1,000 books in Cambodia. They encouraged local writers to write books that the Cambodians would understand and enjoy, and local publishers printed them, creating sustainability for education in the area. This year, the club sold bracelets for International Day of the Girl, hoping to raise enough money to send a girl to school. They exceeded their expectations and raised enough money for two girls to go to school, about $500.

“My favorite part of the club is that every year we exceed our goal because all the students participating in the club are very involved. This allows us to exceed our goals and enhance the lives of people all around the world,” junior Piper Hamill said.

There are about 50 people in the club, led by senior Libby Dowley.

“Global literacy is something that I believe is very important, especially moving into the future as our generation becomes the leaders of the world,” Dowley said.

So far, Dowley’s favorite part of the club was traveling to Cambodia for two weeks over the summer. She went with Teachers Across Borders, which is an organization that organizes professional development for teachers in developing countries. While she was there, Dowley helped teach more educational techniques.

“Teachers in Cambodia do not even need a college education, so we were able to enhance their teaching skills in order to further the education system there,” Dowley said.

The club hopes to continue helping uneducated children all around the world in hopes of making it a brighter future for all of us.