Karen Ligas, executive director

This month we are delighted to welcome Matt Reed and Rod Bradley II to our Board of Directors. They’re two of the hundreds of volunteers we’re celebrating and thanking during National Volunteer Week, April 21-27. So far this year our volunteer mentors have logged nearly 5,000 hours reading with students, helping them build their reading skills and gaining the confidence they need to succeed in school and life. We couldn’t do what we do without your support.

Do you know someone who would like to volunteer with us but doesn’t have the time to mentor? We’re always looking for individuals to organize, sort, and label books in our office; help at events; join our Board of Directors; and serve on our marketing, special events, and recruitment committees, which provide leadership and guidance to our organization. Contact me at statedirector@everybodywinsiowa.org or (515) 277-7590 to join us or learn more.

Again, thanks to all our EWI volunteers, especially those mentors with 15 or more years of continuous service, whom we are highlighting on our website this month. And click here to complete the special Volunteer Word Search we’ve created to celebrate with all of you!

Finally, as the academic year comes to an end, please keep an eye out for your mentor survey. We’ll use the data we collect from you, teachers, and our students and their families to make our program even stronger this fall.

Though the 2023-2024 school year is winding down, we still have an urgent need for funding to continue our program. We have raised enough to cover the cost of just over 40% of the 429 students we are serving this school year, with just over a month left in the school year. As a reminder, we carry out our program at no cost to the 28 central Iowa schools we serve to ensure we can reach the students who would benefit from Power Read the most.

We need your help. Can we count on you to help the students we serve to get back on track with reading? Our programming costs an average of $500 per student per year. A gift of $42 will sponsor a student for one month. And, right now, Principal Charity Classic’s Birdies for Charity campaign is underway, which can earn us an additional 8% match per donation with bonus opportunity. Your generous donation of any amount will make a big impact. Please donate today. 

Peace Tree Brewing Company in Des Moines’ East Village has selected EWI for their First Friday Fundraiser event in May. Please join us from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, May 3, for happy hour. Peace Tree will donate $1 for every item sold during that time to EWI to support Power Read. You can find the Des Moines Peace Tree taproom at 317 East Court Avenue. We can’t wait to see you there!

Mentor Moment

Year after year, each autumn since 2003, Drew Gentsch has shown up at Monroe Elementary School in Des Moines to read with students. What keeps him coming back? “It’s the kids,” he says. “It’s simple. You get to know each child, and they know you’ll be coming back regularly. Once you become a volunteer, it becomes the easiest and most enjoyable part of your week.”

Drew Gentsch, mentor

Certainly, there have been small hurdles: “It was a challenge to keep Power Read on my calendar when my kids were growing up and I was busy with my law practice, but it was always worth the time,” Drew says. “Sometimes I’ve had to come up with reading games to keep my students interested. It is rewarding to find out what their interests are and foster their love of reading.”

Drew’s involvement hasn’t been limited to mentoring. He was on the original EWI Board of Directors and held all of the offices on the Executive Committee. He’s recruited others to mentor, including his mother. “I tell prospective mentors that it’s a great opportunity to work with students in our community who need a little help,” he says. “Every week you come in, see the big smiles, you read, and then you go.” He adds, “I’ve always felt it was a great and enriching experience and I hope the students have felt the same.”

It should come as no surprise that we here at EWI are avid readers. Here’s what board members Elizabeth Heffernan, Rachel Simon, Katie Jones, Morgan Schultz, Betsy Noyes, Amanda Ladd, and Ken Chester, Jr., have been reading, respectively:

The cost to support a Power Read student each month is $41.57. A monthly donation of $25 covers one pair-share mentor. Would you like to help sponsor a student this year? Please click here to donate. We are always grateful for the support of all our program sponsors. Our March donors include:

$2,916.67

United Way of Central Iowa (Power Read monthly grant)

$2,500.00 - Hy-Vee

$1,000.00 - Max Miller

$104.39 - Tammy Shutters

$100.00 - Nate Reagen

$1,000.00 - ITA Group Foundation

$112.50 - Cindy Dicks (Principal Financial volunteer match)

$100.00 - Don Beck

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.

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. Here’s a look at our current statistics through March:

Total students served: 429 (99% of goal: 425 students)

Total volunteer hours: 4,800

Total volunteers: 392

Mentor attendance: 84%

Total mentors: 384 (96% of goal: 400)

Other volunteers: 8

Student attendance: 93%

Total books distributed: 1,834