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About Everybody Wins! South Florida
What is the mission of Everybody Wins! South Florida?The mission of Everybody Wins! South Florida is to instill a love of reading and learning in elementary school students, to improve children's literacy skills, and to foster increased self-esteem. We fulfill our mission by pairing volunteer Reading Mentors from local companies and organizations with classroom children, to read one-on-one, once weekly, in the nationally recognized Power Lunch program. Back to TopHow did EVERYBODY WINS! get started?New York business executive Arthur Tannenbaum and his wife, Phyllis, always enjoyed reading to their children. Phyllis’ experience as an elementary school teacher, combined with the Tannenbaums’ experience parenting their own three children through the New York City public school system, inspired them to make the one-to-one read-aloud experience available to other children and adults. Jim Trelease’s The Read Aloud Handbook, underscoring the importance of reading aloud to children, provided the final impetus and Arthur started visiting a school near his office during his lunch hour to read with a student. Colleagues soon joined him in what became Power Lunch. When he retired in 1991, he founded EVERYBODY WINS! and devoted his time to growing the program. From five readers in one Manhattan public school, Power Lunch now operates in 55 cities and Washington DC. Readers Are Leaders, a program that matches older and younger students for paired reading in communities where corporate volunteers are not available, was created in 1999, and a newly-conceived E-Mentoring component will soon augment that program. Back to TopHow does Everybody Win?Children Win as they discover the joy of
reading and begin to explore new horizons both in the world around them and
within themselves. Children make new connections to others within their schools
and in their communities. Through these one-to-one relationships they know they
are cared for and become more optimistic about the future. Independent
evaluations show that children’s academic performance and behavior also
improve. Volunteers Win by enjoying meaningful and
rewarding experiences. Each has the satisfaction of knowing he/she is making a
positive impact on the life of a young child with just a modest commitment of
time. Companies and Organizations Win as they
become known for improving the lives of the people in their communities.
EVERYBODY WINS! and its affiliates take complete responsibility for managing a
large-scale volunteer program for them, making it possible for their employees
and members to experience the joy of volunteering. Many companies report
improved employee morale and teamwork among volunteers. Educators Win by adding a proven resource to
their own efforts. Teachers say that their students become more interested in
reading more receptive to learning, and exhibit greater confidence in class
participation. Principals are thrilled that their entire schools feel the
positive impact of EVERYBODY WINS! programs.
Back to TopWhat is Power Lunch?Power Lunch is a lunchtime literacy and mentoring program in which elementary school students are matched one-to-one with volunteers from companies and other community organizations to share lunch, conversation, and good books. Adult volunteers promote reading for pleasure by reading aloud to the students, and provide the positive support and encouragement which helps the children believe that they too can be successful in school and ultimately in life. Back to TopHow does Power Lunch operate?• Once a week (or every other week if they
alternate) adult volunteers travel to a nearby elementary school, are welcomed
by the school coordinator, meet their students, pick up school lunch, and
proceed to classrooms, the school library or other designated reading areas. • In the case of student absences, the school
coordinator notifies the volunteers prior to the scheduled meeting time. The
school coordinator also handles volunteer cancellations. Rescheduling is always
encouraged. • Volunteers commit to Power Lunch for one school year and are encouraged to continue with the same child from year to year; students remain in the program as long as they choose to until graduation from elementary school.
Back to TopHow does Power Lunch help?• Students benefit from the consistent, reliable,
positive interaction with caring adults. • Schools and teachers benefit from the nurturing
and personal attention to at-risk youth. • Volunteers benefit from a convenient, enjoyable
and personally rewarding volunteer experience. • Companies benefit from the positive effects of
being recognized as providing a valuable service to the community, through a
turnkey employee volunteer program nationally known and respected. • Companies also benefit from enhanced employee morale and productivity.
Back to TopAre there proven results?An evaluation, conducted under the guidance of the
US Department of Education and the American Institutes for Research, of the Power
Lunch program in Washington DC concluded that the Power Lunch program
imparted notable benefits to ALL students, but especially to its primary
targets, the poorest readers. Specifically: • 25% of poor readers in the Power Lunch
program improved their academic performance, more than double the 12% of low
readers in the control group who did so. • 55% of poor readers in the program often or
always enjoyed reading, well above the 31% of control-group students who felt
that way. • 16% of low readers improved or very much
improved their classroom behavior, more than five times the 3% of control-group
students who did so. • 94.1% of teachers reported that they were either
satisfied or very satisfied with the program, and a mirror 94.1% of mentors felt
the same. Click to view the Executive Summary of the “Evaluation of EVERYBODY WINS! DC Power Lunch Program”. Back to Top |
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