The BLING book club has grown to more than 500 members in recent weeks, with the help of a popular radio host and an Emmy award-winning journalist.

Sen. Thaao Dill, host of HOTT 107.5, and Glenn Jones, current Press Secretary to the Premier, joined forces 15 months ago in the hopes of attracting 30 children to their book club.

Now BLING, which stands for Books Lead Individuals to New Greatness, boasts 545 members between the ages of nine and 12, more than half of which joined in the past three months.

The surge in membership is partly due to a recent partnership with Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd., who not only provide BLING with financial support but also volunteers from within the company group.

David Cash, Endurance president, commended the hard work of the club's co-founders

He said: "Thaao and Glenn deserve a great deal of credit for what they have been able to achieve with BLING in such a short period of time.

"It is clear to us that they both have a great deal of passion for what they are doing and we are very pleased that we have been able to help them realise their vision for this project."

Through publicity from the Thaao Dill Morning Show — which recently aired young member De-Aun Lodge reading passages from 'James and the Giant Peach' — the club has been able to generate enthusiasm about books.

Sen. Dill told The Royal Gazette he got involved with the book club because "it was the right thing to do".

He said: "It's fundamentally satisfying once you understand the importance of reading. If you can understand what people can do, then you understand how unbelievable they are.

"Every single child is worth more than you can calculate. So preserving, protecting and caring for them is just the right thing to do."

According to Sen. Dill, children who think reading is boring, just haven't really read yet.

He said: "Reading is like actually thinking, actually using your imagination, actually becoming who you want to be in the most safe and healthy space possible."

Co-founder Mr. Jones called Sen. Dill's role in the club "critical" and said: "The credibility we get with having Thaao (Dill) is critical because kids in this age group love his radio personality so much, so when he is passionate and excited they get passionate and excited."

Mr. Jones has formed a personal bond with the kids and can relate to them because "I'm probably still a kid at heart myself."

"When they are reading the book I'm reading as well, sometimes for the first time, the experience is just as fresh and new for me as them," he said.

"I can't describe what my future hope for this is because we've already exceeded so many of my expectations," Mr. Jones said. "But it's clear to me we are going to continue this as long as we have the community support and corporate support."

The book club, which has already read stories such as 'Hoot' by Carl Hiaasen and 'Stuart Little' by E.B. White, will be hosting a party on Saturday, August 16 to celebrate the completion of their fourth and most recent book, 'James and the Giant Peach' by Roald Dahl.

The celebration, which includes a screening of the film version, starts at 11 a.m. at the Liberty Theatre and is open to all club members.

Endurance will be covering the cost of movie tickets and popcorn for attendees.