Young Readers Making a Difference Through MS Read-a-Thon
From bedtime stories to big fundraising goals, these young readers have shown that a love of reading can change lives. Over the years, MS Read-a-Thon participants have shared their stories filled with imagination, compassion, and hope for a future free of MS.
MS Read-a-Thon is a reading and fundraising challenge that invites kids across Canada to read as many books as they can while raising funds to support Canadians affected by MS. It’s a fun and meaningful way to inspire a love of reading while making a difference in the lives of others.
We’re sharing a few inspiring stories to celebrate their efforts and remind everyone that every page turned helps make a difference in the lives of Canadians affected by MS.
Meet Sawyer
10-year-old Sawyer joined MS Read-a-Thon in memory of his dad who lived with MS and passed away in 2020.
He thought it was a fun way to raise money for the MS community. “Taking part in MS Read-a-Thon is a special way to honour my dad and help other families. This is my 4th year doing MS Read-a-Thon. My first year, I set a goal of reading one book a day and I became so much better at reading.
I play a lot of sports and I’m really competitive, so it’s always fun to beat my reading record from the year before. My goal is to read 300 books this year! I like reading fantasy and sci-fi books, and my favourite book series right now is Diary of a Wimpy Kid because it makes me laugh.
Last year I was one of the top fundraisers and raised over $2,500. I was very proud of myself! This year, I hope to raise $3,000. It feels like I’m doing good in the world when my reading and fundraising help other families affected by MS.
I want to inspire other kids to read and show them reading can be fun and they can make a difference! The more people learn about MS and fundraise, the closer we get to finding a cure. MS isn’t nice and we need more superheroes to join the fight.”
Meet Beatrice and Emmeline
Sisters Beatrice and Emmeline love to read and have a friendly competition to see who can raise the most funds for MS Read-a-Thon.
“Our parents did MS Read-a-Thon when they were kids and now, we are doing it because we love reading, and because our mom has MS. It’s a cause that means something to our family.
We read books at bedtime and on the weekends. Some of our favourite books are Swim Team, The Baby-Sitters Club, Narwhal and Jelly, and The Peanuts. We like a lot of authors, but we really like Johnnie Christmas, who wrote Swim Team, and we hope he will write more books.
Our favourite part about reading is imagining that we are the characters in the story and continuing the story after the end.”
Meet Jaxin
“I joined MS Read-a-Thon to read and raise money for people living with MS, like my great grampy. His name is Thomas and that’s my middle name!
My mom loves to read, so I love to read too. My favourite part of reading is learning cool stuff and that’s why I like reading books about space!
I think it’s important to teach people about MS because not everyone knows about it. I hope that I can help find a cure for the disease. It makes me very happy to be doing something special for people affected by MS.”
Meet Izzy and her mom, Lindsey
"I like participating in MS Read-a-Thon because I get to read a lot and help raise money to find a cure. It makes me feel really good," says Izzy.
Lindsey, who lives with MS, is incredibly proud of Izzy's commitment to helping the MS community, and shared, "I love watching Izzy challenge herself each year with huge goals and dreams of a better future for me. She always wants to read thousands of books, but we remind her that her books are getting bigger now, so she can’t read as many per day!"
From a young age, Izzy's love for reading was evident. "I taught her to read when she was 3, and once I learned that MS Read-a-Thon still existed, she was excited to sign up when she was just 4 years old. She reads when she needs some quiet time or just on a lazy Saturday afternoon," Lindsey explains.
Together, they share special moments, often curled up with books like Sword in the Stove by Frank Dormer, taking turns reading the silly jokes that keep them giggling. Lindsey reflects, "I hope Izzy continues to use her passions to help others. She’s an awesome kid and loves helping those in need. MS Read-a-Thon is a wonderful way for her to channel her love of reading into raising awareness."
As Izzy embarks on this year's reading adventure, she encourages other kids to join her in raising money for families affected by MS. "Join me in raising money for people like my mom who have MS," she says.
Meet Erika and Kurtis
“Our school, Bayview Glen, is participating in MS Read-a-Thon and our mom participated in the program when she was our age, so we wanted to join too.
When we were babies, our mom would read to us every day. Now that we’re older, we like to borrow books from the public library. We always love to grab a book to read.
Our mom helped us set up our own fundraising page online and reached out to our family for their support.”
The MS Read-a-Thon community continues to grow each year, thanks to amazing young readers like these who are helping create a brighter future for Canadians affected by MS.
You can join them by registering for MS Read-a-Thon or donating to support their efforts.
Register or donate to MS Read-a-Thon
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