By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

This summer Chilton County students will have the opportunity to earn books for themselves and the Chilton-Clanton Public Library through Usborne Books and More’s Summer Reading Club.

Participants strive to read 400 minutes in five weeks, while asking for sponsorships toward completing their goal.

Local organizer Rebecca Corley, who is an Usborne consultant, said she held the reading challenge last summer on a small scale, but hopes to have more students participate this year.

“My goal is to get the kids reading at a time when they are not really motivated by a school assignment,” Corley said.

Students from public and private schools, as well as those who are homeschooled, are welcome to participate.

Corley said participants are not limited just to books, but could read anything, such as a magazine or dictionary, to count for minutes toward the goal.

There is no cost to participate. However, Summer Reading Club members will ask friends and family to sponsor them in the program with a monetary donation of any amount.

“The prize for all their hard work, they get books as their prizes. They are going to collect small pledges, not per minute just one time pledges, from people they are close to, grandparents, aunts and uncles, (etc.),” Corley said. “They will collect their pledges and then they will turn those pledges in. Let’s say they raised $30 … then they get to pick out $30 worth of books.”

Usborne would then donate $15 worth of books to the Chilton-Clanton Public Library. The library will receive a donation of books equal to half of the amount of sponsorships.

Corley said the students will have a choice from the fiction, non-fiction and activity books in the Usborne catalog.

“So it’s a cool way for the kids to pick out books for themselves … and then get to pick out books for our local library,” Corley said.

Corley said there are also added prizes for students who read more than 400 minutes.

Students will receive a reading log to track minutes they have read (or been read to if the child is pre-reading age) and a sponsorship form to keep track of pledges.

The Summer Reading Club will begin on May 29. Readers will have until July 1 to meet their goal.

A celebration for the club will be held at the Clanton City Park Playground on July 29.

Being a member of the Usborne Books and More Summer Reading Club does not mean students cannot join other local summer reading challenges.

“The great thing is this really works alongside their reading challenges. It’s not in competition. It’s really just complimentary,” Corley said.

She said any reading done toward another summer program goal could count toward minutes in the Usborne Summer Reading Group.

Those interested can contact Corley at cushcorley@gmail.com to register.