More that $450 worth of gift certificates were given out to 39 students at Demarest Middle School Thursday. A program called Reading Is Rewarding was launched in early December of last year is part of a joint effort between Demarest and the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce to encourage kids to spend more time reading.
Using money donated by Chamber treasurer and local businessman Edmund M. Kleiner and local Hoboken merchants, Demarest is offering students gift certificates for every book read that is not related to schoolwork. The certificates, which are redeemable at Big Fun Toys, McDonalds, Johnny Rockets and A&S Comics and Cards, are worth $3 and $5 each.
In a generous display, Kleiner donated $2,000 for the program. The participating stores added a supplement of $1,000 to make a total of $3,000 in gift certificates for the 231 students of Demarest.
“There is so much competition for kids at this age,” said Demarest Principal Charlie Tortorella last week. “There are TV, movies, video games and computers, and sometimes it seems like reading gets pushed to the side.” Tortorella added that middle school is an important time to mold a child’s reading habits.
Kleiner, who owns a wholesale candy and tobacco company in Hoboken, says that he has been pleased with the progress the program has made and would like to see it continued. He also is very appreciative of help of the Chamber of Commerce. It is Kleiner’s hope that in the future more businesses will join him to make the program a citywide success.
Kleiner said he came up with the idea a long time ago and recently had the opportunity to actually put it into action.
“I was watching [Former House Speaker] Newt Gingrich on TV one day and he was talking about programs that get kids interested in reading,” said Kleiner. “And one of the things he talked about was paying children for their summer reading, and I thought that was a really good idea.” He then approached Tortorella with the idea and the wheels were in motion.
To get the program off the ground they sought the assistance of Chamber of Commerce President John Parchinsky who put the men in contact with Chamber members that would be willing to participate, and the program became a reality.
In the assembly Thursday, it was announced that 39 students had read 69 books. There were several that read multiple books, but seventh grader Fred Kor was the most impressive. He had read 10 books.
“What I like most about this program,” said Kleiner just before the assembly, “Is that there were 69 books that might not have otherwise been read.”