Everybody Wins! Iowa

Everybody Wins! Iowa We pair elementary students with caring volunteers to help them be successful in school and life. The Everybody Wins! as a nonprofit in New York.

program was founded in New York by Arthur Tannenbaum and his wife Phyllis. They had always read aloud to their children and reading aloud together was an important time for them to come together after a long day. It helped the Tannenbaums to instill a lifelong love of reading in their children. Arthur picked up a copy of the Read-Aloud Handbook, written by Jim Trelease after reading a book review

in the New York Times. Arthur appreciated how important the read-aloud experience was for children, and realized that there were many children who didn’t have that opportunity to read with an adult in their daily lives. Trelease wrote that reading aloud to children was the single most important factor in improving children’s literacy skills–but what happens to those children who never had that opportunity? Arthur saw a chance to make a difference by visiting a neighborhood school once a week during his lunchtime and read to a child. He quickly recruited co-workers to join him in his weekly “Power Lunch.” Soon, the volunteers’ impact became obvious. Children in the program were learning to love reading, they were gaining self-confidence, and they were becoming better readers. This simple program has an enormously powerful impact! Soon Arthur retired from his job and founded Everybody Wins! This program quickly spread, and was brought to Iowa in 2002 after Senator Tom Harkin participated in an Everybody Wins! DC program and knew it could benefit children in Iowa. The original Everybody Wins! reorganized in 2013 as Read Ahead and all of the other affiliates are now stand-alone organizations.

Happy Pride! 🌈 This month and all year round, we celebrate q***r authors, illustrators, characters, and readers who brin...
06/05/2026

Happy Pride! 🌈 This month and all year round, we celebrate q***r authors, illustrators, characters, and readers who bring creativity, joy, and representation to every page. Thank you for sharing your stories and helping build a more vibrant, inclusive literary community.

05/04/2026

EWI volunteers of all kinds, join us today at Lua Brewing to celebrate a great year of Power Read! Drop in from 4-6, we can’t wait to see you! 🍻☀️📚

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day! Today is a day to celebrate the power of poetry and the joy of sharing it with others. Wh...
04/30/2026

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day! Today is a day to celebrate the power of poetry and the joy of sharing it with others. Whether you carry a favorite poem in your pocket or share one with a friend or loved one, take a moment to appreciate the beauty and inspiration that poetry can bring to our lives. Check out these awesome resources for celebrating and enjoying poetry!

Create a pocket-sized zine: https://bit.ly/4t3GN0S

Printable pocket poems: https://bit.ly/3QyzgcY

04/27/2026

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? Before the month ends, we want to shout out our amazing volunteers. Power Read simply could not exist without the power of volunteering and our volunteers are some of the very best!

And don't forget EWI volunteers...only one week until our volunteer social! We will be at Lua Brewing on Monday May 4th at 4:00 - join us!

04/24/2026
Happy Earth Day! Books the Bear is getting out in nature today to enjoy some favorite books. How will you celebrate our ...
04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! Books the Bear is getting out in nature today to enjoy some favorite books. How will you celebrate our home planet? Do you have any favorite books about nature, the environment, or Mother Earth? Let us know in the comments! 🌏

Calling all past, present, and future volunteers! Please join us at our EWI Spring Volunteer Social, where you can be a ...
04/21/2026

Calling all past, present, and future volunteers! Please join us at our EWI Spring Volunteer Social, where you can be a part of a Club, a Squad, a Group of Friends, or even a Pinkerrific Playdate! All are welcome as we gather at Lua Brewing from 4 to 6 pm on Monday, May 4, to celebrate another wonderful year of reading, mentoring, and doing great things in our community. Drop in and stay as long as you’d like. We will have some special prizes and fun activities! Lua Brewing is located at 1525 High St. in Des Moines. Food and drink will be available for purchase. We can’t wait to see you!

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day is Sunday, April 12. In honor of Beverly Cleary's birthday (this year she'd be 110!)...
04/12/2026

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day is Sunday, April 12. In honor of Beverly Cleary's birthday (this year she'd be 110!), DEAR Day is a national celebration of reading designed to remind us to make reading a priority. What better way to celebrate Power Read and inspire kids to read more for fun, than the birthday of one of our most beloved authors!

Each year on DEAR Day we ask you to consider making a contribution for our Power Read program to share the love of reading that Beverly Cleary promoted during her lifetime. Donations help us ensure that each year we can provide books for kids who may not otherwise receive them, so please Drop Everything and Donate to Everybody Wins! Iowa today!

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901 Walnut Street #315
Des Moines, IA
50309

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