If you want proof positive that reading can pay off, just talk to the Charleston Animal Society which last week received a $6938.35 contribution generated by a read-a-thon by elementary students at Charles Towne Montessori in West Ashley.

Each spring, the school, the only internationally-accredited Montessori school in the state, asks student teams to develop a class project. About eight teams of students pick different nonprofits they want to help and follow-up with a research-packed presentation. The class then votes on which charity to support.

Then the students solicit donations from family members, friends and neighbors to sponsor how much they read on a special day of reading at the school. (We’ve learned long ago, thanks to picture books, that it is best to sponsor a set amount, such as $30, instead of a per-page fee.)