Sharing the Joy of Reading

Elementary Student Fundraises So Schoolmates Can Buy Books at the Book Fair
By Sarah Vammen

photo by shane darby.

Books have always been a source of joy for 9-year-old Carter Wilcox. Now, he is on a mission to share that joy with as many children as he can. 

As a student at William Jefferson Clinton Primary School in Hope, Arkansas, Carter looks forward to the Scholastic Book Fair every year.

“It’s exciting to see our library with so many racks of new books and choices,” he said. “Reading has always been encouraged in my home, and I have always been lucky enough to be able to pick [and purchase] any book I wanted at the book fair.”

Carter is the son of Kelly and Mark Wilcox. He has two brothers, Wyatt (pictured) and Gage, (unpictured, away at college). photo by bright images.

However, at last year’s Scholastic Book Fair, Carter noticed something that broke his heart: not every kid in his school was able to buy a new book at the fair. After coming home from school, Carter spoke with his mom, Kelly, about what he saw at the fair. 

“Mom gave me her undivided attention when I told her that it hurt my heart and that I wanted every kid to experience the same joy the book fair brought me,” Carter said. 

Kelly immediately contacted the school’s librarian, Casey Schoenberger, to find out how many students were unable to buy a book. “We were both pretty sad to learn that about 300 of [the school’s] 820 students never got this opportunity,” Carter said. “I told my mom that we better get started.”

Carter’s Class was founded that same night. The goal: to raise enough money for every student at Clinton Primary to purchase a brand new book at the next Scholastic Book Fair. 

Excited to make a difference, Carter hit the ground running. “I started with one donation bucket at a local business in Hope,” he explained. “After a Facebook post, I had calls for more and more buckets. We set up seven buckets throughout Hope within about two weeks.” 

Carter didn’t stop there. He spoke to many civic clubs around town to raise awareness for Carter’s Class. As word about Carter’s mission spread, local businesses and vendors began offering to help. 

Carter’s first large-scale fundraising event was a bake sale and story hour for kids. Local bakers contributed baked goods for the sale, and volunteers read their favorite childhood books. “We even had a local author read her latest children’s story and sign books,” Carter said.

Though Carter was nervous to launch such an ambitious project, he did not let fear slow him down. “I had never done anything like this before,” he said. “What if nobody listened to what I had to say?” 

Luckily, Carter’s fears were unfounded. The community quickly rallied behind him and the Carter’s Class project, and they raised money faster than he ever anticipated. “I had given myself a year to reach my goal of raising $2,000,” he said. “It was less than a month after starting Carter’s Class, and I had already met it.” 

Despite his success, Carter wasn’t ready to quit. He was determined to fund even more book fairs. He continued hosting a variety of creative fundraisers in support of Carter’s Class, including a t-shirt fundraiser, a photo shoot giveaway from Bright Images, and a floral arrangement sale during Christmas. 

“My favorite fundraiser was ‘Carter’s Class egged my yard’ at Easter,” he said. “I got to hide Easter eggs and make goody baskets, and of course a handpicked book from Carter’s Class went in every basket.” 

Noting the success of each fundraiser and the positive response from the community, Kelly took the project one step further by contacting Scholastic about Carter’s efforts. “She thought maybe they would help or possibly donate books at an upcoming fair,” Carter said. Instead, Scholastic offered to match all funds raised in support of Carter’s Class. “I couldn’t believe it,” Carter said. “Now I really had an opportunity to help every kid who wanted a book be able to afford one.” 

Word about Carter’s Class continued to spread, going beyond Carter’s school and the Hope community. Carter received an email as well as a signed letter from President Bill Clinton, for whom Carter’s school is named, commending his efforts to promote literacy.

“It’s pretty neat to think my first pen pal is a former POTUS,” Carter said. “I learned he likes to read, and he believed helping every student get a book is a wonderful thing. He was very proud I was taking it upon myself to make sure it happened.”

To date, Carter’s Class has raised around $5,000, not including the matched funds from Scholastic, and has fully funded two Scholastic Book Fairs. Carter has big future plans for Carter’s Class. 

“We have a big fundraiser coming September 14th at Hempstead Hall,” he said. “We will have a trivia night, silent auction, and raffle.” 

In addition to his work fundraising, Carter also finds time to compete as a member of the Hope Piranhas Swim Team. photo by bright images.

Carter also plans to extend the Carter’s Class mission beyond book fairs. “It’s one thing to get kids books, but it’s another to get them to read,” he said. “I’m hoping that, in the future, Carter’s Class can start a small-group reading program so kids have someone to practice reading with.”

At age 9, Carter doesn’t let his young age stop him from working hard to make a difference for other kids. No matter your age, “your voice matters,” Carter said. “Age and numbers don’t matter. Don’t let fear stop you from fighting for who or what you believe in.”