The Fun Filled Foundation, a non-profit organization founded and run by third graders at Grant Elementary School, announced today that it will hold a book fair at Barnes & Noble on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica on Saturday, May 7, from noon to 6 p.m., and the State’s retiring Secretary of Education Richard Riordan will be the young entrepreneurs’ special guest.
Barnes & Noble will donate a percentage of sales from vouchers especially created for the event. Vouchers will be available at the Fun Filled Foundation booth situated on the second floor near the children’s book section.
“The kids are thrilled to be promoting their organization in this way,” said third-grade teacher Ms. Freimund. “Secretary Riordan will be reading at the event and every hour one of the kids will also have the opportunity to tell a story.”
The Fun Filled Foundation began as a third-grade class project in October, 2004. Students in Freimund’s Room 31 class wanted to help less fortunate young people and decided to donate backpacks filled with educational materials, a soft toy, and a Fun Filled Foundation T-shirt to underserved and less privileged kids in the community. Through a letter-writing campaign, they were able to acquire 100 backpacks and the items to fill them.
They also got the attention of businesses such as Barnes & Noble. Sixty packs have been distributed so far.
Earlier this year, Room 31 was one of five school classrooms nationwide to receive a $1,000 grant from Sleeping Bear Press.To celebrate the publication of its new book, D is for Democracy, the publisher awarded the prizes to schools that devised the best and most creative means of benefiting their communities.
