Readathon Benefits Industry Support Fund

This article was submitted by WGA member Michael Arkof. It runs today in Writers: On The Line, a weekly print newsletter distributed at picket locations.

AND A CHILD SHALL READ THEM

Sabrina Batchler didn�t write the book on supporting the WGA strike, but she is reading one. Lots of them, actually. The eleven year-old is conducting a Read-a-thon to raise money for the Writers Guild Foundation, to help people put out of work by the strike.

The idea originated with Sabrina�s mother, writer Janet Batchler, who said she got the notion over the winter break. Since then, her daughter has read five books, going on six, for a total of about a thousand pages. By collecting pledges for her tireless reading, Sabrina has managed to raise more than a thousand dollars in contributions.

�Sabrina loves to read and was interested in the strike from the very beginning,� said Batchler, �So I thought why not combine the two.� Batchler explained that Read-a-thon pledges vary. Some pledge a penny per page, others pledge per book, while still others give a donation per month of reading.

In between turning the pages, Sabrina keeps a blog and sends out emails to her sponsors, updating them on the number of pages she�s read. The sponsors then mail out checks to the Foundation, which in turn allocates the funds to one of two locations (based on the pledge�s choice): the Industry Support Fund or the Actor�s Fund. (Ed. note: both these Funds are for non-writers who are out of work because of the strike.)

You might guess that Sabrina Batchler�s determination to help out writers stems from her own desire to become a writer someday. Not so, said the 5th grader. �I want to be a fashion designer rock star.�

This week in Sabrina�s elementary school, an announcement will go out to the entire student body advertising the Read-a-thon idea and asking other students to join. To enroll a child as a reader or to make a pledge, go to Sabrina's blog for more information.

Our thanks to Sabrina and all those like her who continue to help fundraise for non-WGA members affected by the strike. Her determination is inspiring.