Friday, November 13, 2026
Lawrence Road Middle School kicked off the third annual Reading for a Cause Initiative on Thursday. The students are raisingg money for reading and aim to surpass last years goal of $2,000.
The fundraiser, supports the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless while encouraging students to develop stronger reading habits.
“Now we can buy 100 backpacks for children on Long Island who are experiencing homelessness,”said Kaitlyn Beers, community engagement specialist from the coalition. “We can also now buy tents and now we can buy 1,500 rolls of toilet paper.”
Through the Read-a-Thon platform, students track their reading hours and collect pledges. To kick off this year’s initiative, the school welcomed four guest authors who shared their experiences as writers, discussed their books, and emphasized the importance of literacy.
Each session began with a presentation by Beers explaining how donations from the previous year’s fundraiser were distributed. She also explained homelessness on Long Island with statistics behind it.
Approximately 4,500 people experience homelessness on Long Island, with children younger than 18 accounting for 32 percent of that population, Beers said.
Among the speakers was Denise Renee Foy, a beauty professional, empowerment advocate and mentor who discussed her book, “Glowing Up.” Foy encouraged students to set aside digital distractions and dedicate more time to reading. She eventually brought up several students to read out loud in front of their classmates from her book.
“In today’s age with all the digital technology and the phones and tablets we’re so used to just fast-paced information and graphics,” Foy said. “But you can tell yourself, all right, I’m going to sit down and I’m not going to scroll, instead, I’m going to actually sit down and focus my mind.”
Other presenters included Gregory Singer, author of “La Matchinista” and “Stinky Poo Who Are You”; Justine Williams, author of “More Than the Jersey”; and Frant Dorsainvil, an assistant principal at Northern Parkway School and author of “College Still Matters” and “The Gift You Give Beyond the Classroom.”
Eighth-graders Mia Harvey of Uniondale and Saniya Corbett-Ramroop of Hempstead attended Foy’s presentation. Both said they enjoyed listening to what Foy presented. Corbett-Ramroop felt a connection because she wants to be a beautician when she graduates. As for the initiative — they both could agree with their joy to have the opportunity to help others through reading.
“We did it for a good cause, and it made me really happy we were able to provide something by reading,” Harvey said. “It also helped us with reading and learning, and I’m happy it impacted other people’s lives at the end of the day.”
Corbett-Ramroop appreciated learning how the donations were used.
“I liked how we saw how it impacted people,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like you’re doing something and you don’t know where the money is going. I liked that they showed us what they bought.”
