Karen Ligas, executive director

All of us at Everybody Wins! Iowa are wearing big smiles this month because we’re rolling out Power Read at 15 schools this fall. We’re back in action with our FY25 Program Schedule. As financial support flows in and additional volunteers join us as Power Read lead volunteers, we will determine the remaining schedules.

Take the lead

If you’re thinking of joining us as a Power Read lead volunteer, here are a few details: The time commitment is one to three hours per week (Monday through Friday during the school year). You need to have good organizational and people skills as well as some basic computer skills. It’s a light load that makes a big impact and is guaranteed to bring you smiles each week. You can find a more complete description here, and you can contact Stacy at spearce@everybodywinsiowa.org if you’d like to further discuss these opportunities.

Special recognition

We are especially grateful to the former site coordinators who quickly agreed to serve as Power Read lead volunteers this year: Brooke Gillum (Northwest Elementary), Barb Hardy (McKinley Elementary), Deanna Kennedy (Moore Elementary), Stacy Pearce (Findley Elementary), Gina Ruggle (Perry Elementary), and Jenni Scallon (Crestview School of Inquiry and Maple Grove Elementary). You can read more about Jenni and her decision to switch from staff to volunteer in the Volunteer Vibes section below.

Invest in a child

You may notice that our fiscal year 2025 program looks a bit smaller than last year. We needed to restructure our programming to better reflect the resources available to support our students, so we are in fewer schools this year—just 15 instead of 28. We hope that with new grants, sponsors, and donors we can return to the full roster of 28 schools served last year. You can read more about our restructuring here. The annual cost of sponsoring a student is $500. If a smaller, monthly donation is more your speed, that breaks down to $41.66 each month, and you can set that up as an automatic payment. Every dollar given to EWI is an investment in the future of a central Iowa student. Power Read not only helps our students become strong readers; it also builds their confidence and self-esteem. You can make one-time or monthly donations here.

Books! Books! Books!

Books are our business, and we are grateful to Accenture, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Des Moines office, and author/publisher Kim Ann and Lucky Four Press for the latest additions to our book carts.

Representatives of Accenture are shown dropping off donated books along with operations manager Stacy Pearce, left, and executive director Karen Ligas, second from right.

Stacy Pearce and Karen Ligas accept donated books from Patrick McAntire of the Des Moines office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

EWI was the recipient of books from author/publisher Kim Ann and Lucky Four Press.

“I was a site coordinator for about five years, but it was never about the money,” Jenni says. “It was always about helping the kids, and if I have volunteer mentors who will come to the schools, then I’ll come, too.” A former teacher, Jenni says Power Read allows her to do what she enjoys: “I like getting to know other adults with similar interests, I like working with kids, and I like getting back in schools. Kids bring a lot of joy to you, and you learn as much from them as they do from you.”

Jenni emphasizes the continuing need for Power Read. “It’s so good for our students to have an adult to rely on, who takes the time to listen and read to them,” she says. “If a student has a difficult home life, Power Read can be a reprieve.” She’s also seen the impact the program can have on students who are learning the English language. “A mom and daughter who pair-shared had a student who was brand new to this country and didn’t speak any English. They went above and beyond and went to their own libraries to find specific books to help him learn the language. He was speaking English by the end of the year.”

Super Sponsors

We need your financial support more than ever to ensure the future of Power Read. Please click here to donate. 

We are always grateful for the support of all our program sponsors. Our recent August donors include: 

Did you know you can make a significant impact by donating monthly? Every dollar counts and each donation is greatly appreciated. Remember to check to see if your employer matches your donations or volunteer time spent reading with your student.

Here is our progress through August 2024. We need to receive an average of $10,833.33 each month to offer Power Read to 260 students this year.

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. Take a look at our annual report to learn more about our 2024 data.