Luling – Eighth graders from R.K. Smith Middle School are joining Super Bowl MVP’s Peyton Manning and Scholastic Book Clubs to help donate one million books to disadvantaged children.

This fall, students from Jessica Brevelle’s class have pledged to read 100 books as part of Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare program. The philanthropy-based literacy campaign is designed to teach children about the joys and importance of reading and giving.

“Kids have big hearts and nowhere is that more evident than when children help children through the ClassroomsCare program,” said Judy Newman president of Scholastic Book Clubs.

“Classes around the country are reading 100 books each. When they meet the goal, the Mannings, Scholastic and our charity partners will put one million books into the hands of the neediest children. The kids in R.K. Smith Middle School get to see firsthand that their efforts can make the world a better place,” Newman explained.

To participate, classrooms join either “Team Payton” or “Team Eli” and keep track of their progress using an oversize Classrooms Care poster. A companion Web site lets classes share and compare their achievements with other participating classrooms around the nation. The Web site also provides activities, motivational videos featuring the Mannings, e-cards, a sweepstakes, and details on ClassroomsCare charity partners.

“Scholastic Book Clubs’ ClassroomsCare lets both students and teachers demonstrate our spirit of service and sharing while also instilling a passion for reading. My students enjoyed competing with each other, and they were really proud of themselves when we completed our poster. I am proud of all of my students for participating, and I am especially proud of Joshua Nedd and Malasia Strickland, who tied for reading the most books to help us reach our goal,” said Brevelle, classroom teacher.