Four years ago, Rachael Clements, Rhiannon Clements, both home-schooled, and Sammie Frick, all of Potsdam, decided they wanted to make a difference in the world. They started a Read-a-thon. Each summer they ask friends and relatives to sponsor their efforts, and they spend the month of August reading as many books as they can. The money they raise is donated to a charity of their choice. Past recipients include the Potsdam Holiday Fund, the Potsdam Humane Society, and Humanitarian Aid for Ethiopia. This year the girls wanted to help students who could not afford school supplies. With the $586 they raised, they were able to purchase and fill 16 backpacks containing a variety of school items. Here, they are shown presenting Larry B. Jenne, Principal of Lawrence Avenue Elementary School, with the backpacks.