It's that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the swimming pools are empty, the air is getting crisp and volunteers are signing up to read with elementary school children in Des Moines through the Everybody Wins! program.
Everybody Wins! is a mentoring and literacy program that teams up with staff at local public schools to read with children who need additional reading practice over the noon hour. "Everybody Wins! Iowa matches elementary school students with volunteers from local businesses, corporations and community organizations to read aloud one-to-one for one hour, once a week to children. The volunteer reading mentor promotes the joy of reading and serves as a caring adult role model. Children build academic confidence and enhance their overall positive self-esteem. The volunteers, their company or organization, the schools, and the students benefit, which creates a better community for central Iowa. Everybody Wins!"
Volunteers read with children once a week, or more, for forty five minutes during the lunch hour. It's a great way to give back to the community and make a difference in a child's life. EW currently provides over four hundred volunteers to read with children in 13 public schools. While the number helped is impressive, the need perennially surpasses the resources available. Des Moines public school officials report that each semester approximately 1800 children qualify to read through the program and that it is needed in 28 schools in the area.
I've been reading with the program now for three years and also serve on the Board of Directors of the organization. We are working very hard to expand the number of volunteers, the number of schools and improves the effectiveness of the program If you are interested in volunteering your time or in making a donation, please click on this link: http://www.everybodywinsiowa.org/, or visit Everbody Wins Iowa on Facebook to learn more about it.
You can make a difference in your community and a child's life. Join Everybody Wins today!
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