Greenwich Chapter Launch
February 2008
Greenwich Country Day School
John Wood came to Greenwich in February 2008 to help launch our Greenwich Chapter at an evening fundraiser held at the Greenwich Country Day School. He told his fascinating story to a rapt audience of over 150 people, resulting in our surpassing our goal of raising $100,000. We are so grateful to the thoughtful, generous people who joined us to meet John personally and who donated to his vitally important cause.
Want It - A Fundraising Fashion Show
September 2008
Saks Fifth Avenue
We had a wonderful time seeing the latest fashion trends when Saks and MasterCard hosted "Want It", a fashion show to benefit Room to Read. We felt very festive, eating our tasty boxed lunches and enjoying a rollicking, super chic runway fashion show right in the middle of the beautiful Saks store on Greenwich Avenue. Over 60 women joined us and helped us raise $4,000 which went towards the Girls' Education Program, which funds girls' scholarships.
Stephanie Barrett, our Chapter Chair, said it all when she quoted Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the U.N.: "There is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls. No other single intervention has the same wide-ranging impact on the economic and social progress of a country. Educated girls can create a better life not only for themselves but also for their families and their communities."
Rally for Reading - An Author's Series
June 2009
Greenwich Country Day School
On June 16th the Greenwich Room to Read Chapter had its first "Rally for Reading" featuring Patricia McCormick, author of SOLD, the story of a girl who is sold into the sex trade by her family. Patricia spoke to the audience about her book and her time spent in Nepal and India, following the steps of a girl from a poor village in the foothills of the Himalayas to the red light district of Calcutta. She described the isolation and poverty in this part of the world and the lack of opportunities for the people living there. Many times girls are sold into the sex trade by their own families, sometimes out of ignorance. McCormick's story and presentation emphasized the great need for education in the developing world, especially in isolated villages, and the importance of the mission of Room to Read. Thanks to the generosity of those who supported this event , 80 girls in the developing world were given scholarships to attend school.
Rally for Reading - An Author's Series
May 2010
Greenwich Country Day School
We held our 2nd Rally for Reading on the evening of May 5 at the Greenwich Country Day School. A capacity crowd of over 250 people heard a presentation by Dr. Abraham Verghese, renowned physician, Stanford University professor and author of the best-selling novel, Cutting for Stone. His first novel is a riveting saga of Ethiopia and America, doctors and patients, exile and home. Dr. Verghese shared his insights on books in general and their influence on his youth, reading, writing, medicine and the world of the physician. He is an extraordinary speaker with a broad life vision; his remarks generated many interesting questions.