Dressed in their fuzzy pajamas and comfortable clothes, 30-40 members of the Ex Libris book club piled into the Media Center with stacks of good reads, pillows, sleeping bags, and a bean bag chair or two Friday night for its third annual Read-a-Thon.

From 3:45-9:45 p.m., students, who were nestled in the quiet nooks of the library, buried their noses in the adventures of daring heroes and heroines, wrenching stories of heartbreak and love, spine-tingling murder mysteries, timeless classics, eccentric sci-fi thrillers and much more.

With each turn of their pages, the members helped to raise money for the literacy charity Room to Read.  Every year, the club, with more than 77 members, chooses to help promote literacy by donating money from the Read-a-Thon to a literacy-oriented charity. This year, the club voted to help Room to Read because it provides impoverished schools in Africa and Asia with reading materials.

After their meeting on Jan.9, club members set out with pledge sheets to find teachers, parents, friends, neighbors, administrators, and anyone they could to support the cause. Donors had the option of either making a “flat” donation or pledging a certain amount of money per page the student read.  While a few cents a page may not seem like much, it certainly adds up. In fact, last year, about 40 club members read more than 7,000 pages as a group, earning just under $2,000. The students were asked to keep track of the number of pages they read, not as a contest, but simply to see how many they could read as a group.

“This year, we’re trying to make $2,000,” Media Specialist and Ex Libris co-sponsor Leigh Anne Hanie said. In previous years, the club has fallen short of its goal, but this year Hanie believes a certain individual just might put them over the top. Junior Vivian Goddard, who has been in Ex Libris for three years, has raised more than $600. The club members will find out how much money they raised collectively on Feb. 14.

Besides reading for a worthy cause,  most of the club members were simply glad to have time to kick back and relax with a good book.

“The Read-a-Thon is just like a vacation from regular school work and the stress of school,” senior Jake Troyer, the club’s vice president, said. In fact, several members confessed that little to no time is left for reading because of time-consuming school work and other extracurricular acitivities.

“I love to read, but there’s really no time in the week to do it,” freshman Lydia Powell said. “Having a set time put aside to read just sounded excellent to me.” Others like senior Julia Stitt view the Read-a-Thon as a way to change up their weekly routine.

“It’s a quiet way to spend your Friday night instead of just doing the typical thing,” Stitt said.