Happy Spring! April is a month that celebrates a number of faiths, as well as the earth. It’s also when we celebrate our volunteers (National Volunteer Week is April 16-22). We’re so grateful to our mentors and board members. Thank you for your service and leadership. We also want to thank the volunteers who help us in the office, with programming, and at our special events.

You’re all an important part of Power Read and Everybody Wins! Iowa.

Our volunteers have been busy this month at several outreach events including Kinship in the Neighborhood, the Des Moines Book Festival, and the Southside Community Event at Lincoln High School. Click the corresponding event links to see us in action.

A photo from the Southside Community Event at Lincoln High School

Looking to get involved with EWI this summer or next fall? We have opportunities for site coordinators. Please contact Stacy Pearce at [email protected] if you'd like to join our team.

As always, we love to listen in to hear what our students have to say about Power Read. Here’s what we’ve overheard lately:

“I’m excited to be getting a new book, because I gave my last one to my sister.”

- Keeha

“Ooh, I love these biographies! I especially love the ones about the presidents. I don’t have this one about Ronald Reagan!”

- Emma

Are you following us on social media? Lately we’ve started sharing what folks are reading. Some recent selections:

Ashley’s reading Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Amanda’s reading Code Gray by Farzon Nahvi

Anna’s reading Educated by Tara Westover

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to share your books and add to your list.

Director Details

Kim Norvell, board secretary

Kim Norvell has goals, and they focus on one thing: ensuring EWI’s board members and mentors look

like the students we serve. “A mentor of any background is good for our students, but we really want

our mentors and directors to reflect our students and their life experiences,” she says. “We want

mentors of color, and we want more men. We hope our mentors can help spread the good word and recruit others from all walks of life.” Kim is board secretary and a member of the Marketing Committee. “I like finding ways to spread the word about Everybody Wins! Iowa in my marketing role,” she says. Kim

has served on the Board of Directors for five years and has been a mentor for seven. She currently reads

at the Downtown School in Des Moines and is dreading the end of the school year. “I’ve been so lucky to

read with my student since he was in first grade. This year he’s in fifth grade and is aging out of the

program,” she says wistfully.

Mentor Moment

Carol Millar, mentor

Carol Millar has been an EWI mentor more than 15 years, reading at schools throughout the metro area,

and has served on the organization’s board of directors. She’s as enthused as she was when she began

mentoring and calls Power Read an easy way to make a difference in the life of a child. “I show up, and

there’s a book cart and a child, and I just read,” Carol says. “Reading is the most important thing in the

world if you’re going to be successful. How can a child learn if they can’t read?” She adds, “Parents are

busy, and families have a lot of challenges, so sometimes it’s hard to find time to read.” Power Read

helps fill that gap. Carol currently reads at Cattell Elementary School in Des Moines and says, “We

always need more mentors and anyone who signs up won’t regret it. Every time I read, no matter what

my day has been like, I always leave my mentoring session in a good mood.”

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve almost reached the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The last week of Power Read will be May 15 to 19. Stay tuned for news about our summer programs.

Follow us on social media (links at the top and bottom of this email), visit our website, and look for updates in future newsletters for more details on these and future events.

The cost of supporting one student is $500. Please click here to sponsor a student today. We are thankful for the support of all our program sponsors.

Our recent March donors are:

$4,166.67

United Way of Central Iowa (Power Read monthly grant)

$2,616.47 - Veridian Credit Union (CR Casual Day Donations)

$1,000.00 - B&C Eddy Fund

$250.00 - Patrick McElyea and Jessica Schultz

$100.00 - Don Beck

$2,500.00 - EMC Insurance Companies

$500.00 - Lincoln Savings Bank

$100.00 - Mollie Giller

$100.00 - Cindy Dicks

Want to donate? Click here.

Interested in mentoring, joining the board, or serving on a committee? Click here.

Have an idea or suggestion for Power Read, Everybody Wins! Iowa, or The Bookworm? Click here.

Everybody Wins! Iowa is a central Iowa non-profit organization whose mission is to increase children’s success in school and life through one-to-one reading and mentoring experiences with caring volunteers.

Our signature program is Power Read, in which students read with the same volunteer mentor every week, usually over lunch. Please view our homepage on our website for current data on mentors, students, and books distributed.