The Everybody Wins is a once-a-week lunchtime read-aloud program that
pairs adult volunteers with nearby elementary school students to share
books, conversation and lunch.
WES Principal Kaiya Korb said, "I'm thrilled that we have been able to
team up with Everybody Wins to bring a mentoring program to our
Waitsfield Elementary School and the Mad River Valley. It is so
important for young people to know that many around them, not just their
teachers or parents, care about their learning and value education.
This program lives up to its name, providing a win-win situation for
both the child and the adult involved. Everybody Wins' reputation and
experience were just what we were looking for to reinforce reading
skills and create structured situations in which students and the
broader community could interact towards positive goals."
EW! VT takes responsibility for all administration and coordination. It
manages the volunteers, the daily logistics, recruitment, training and
mentor reference checks; they provide books, orientations, parent and
mentor workshops, enrichment activities for the students, liability
insurance and other necessary supplies for the program.
The program's equation combines one mentor, one child, one book at a time to improve both the skills and love of reading.
The goal in the first year is to recruit and match 20 mentor/student
pairs at Waitsfield Elementary School. EW! VT seeks to form business
partnerships to encourage employees to get involved during their lunch
break.
The staff at EW! VT is also attempting to spread the word via
presentations at community organizations. Those interested should visit
www.ewvt.org or call Amy Cunningham, executive director of EW! VT, at
(802) 229-2665 to plan a presentation.
EW! VT is also seeking to hire a 10-hour-per-week school coordinator to run the program at WES in the fall.
"We are delighted to bring our program to the Waitsfield Elementary
School. Everybody Wins! Vermont is based on the notion that the more
children read, the better readers they become. Our approach is to help
children experience the joy of reading good books in a one-to-one,
non-instructional setting, and we rely on volunteer mentors in order to
do that," stated Amy Cunningham.
Everybody Wins! was founded in 1991 in New York City. In the spring of
1995, Senators James Jeffords (I-VT) and Paul Simon (D-IL) along with a
bipartisan coalition of 130 senators and their staff helped launch the
program in Washington, DC.
For additional information about Everybody Wins! Vermont or to complete
an online application to become a mentor, contact Jennifer Peterson at
(802) 496-9805 or
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