Greetings!

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well.  
 
For 25 years, Everybody Wins DC has used the power of shared reading to connect children in need with people who care. Whether it’s weekly reading sessions with Power Lunch mentors, the distribution of free books to families and classrooms, or hosting read aloud events with special guests, EWDC knows that connections built over a book can help a child thrive in the classroom and beyond.  
 
With COVID-19 closing schools across the region, we must find new ways to bring the benefits of shared reading to those that need it most. For this reason,  we’ve made the decision to close Power Lunch for the 2019-2020 program year so that we can focus on the immediate goal of supporting our school communities through distance learning opportunities and resources . 
 
You can learn a bit about our planned remote shared reading activities in this newsletter, with more information to come in the days ahead. And while it is disappointing that our students and mentors won’t get to finish their year of shared reading, we know this is the right decision so that we can best meet the needs of our students, our schools, and our communities.
 
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students, our work, and our mission. It means the world to me and to the entire EWDC team.
 
Jordi Hutchinson
EWDC Executive Director
 
Everybody Wins Wednesdays
Starting Wednesday, April 8, EWDC will be sharing weekly updates with students, families, and mentors via email and on our website . Everybody Wins Wednesdays are designed to offer quick, practical resources to make COVID-19 closure a bit easier for our community.

Tomorrow's Everybody Wins Wednesday will include updates on:
  • Our new Pen Pal program for distance communication between mentors and students
  • Social-distance-friendly volunteer opportunities with partner organizations which provide crucial services to our school communities
  • Virtual book clubs
  • Shared reading activities and social emotional learning supports for families of our students and mentors alike!

Stay tuned for more information!
Although we were unable to come together on March 11   for our 25th anniversary celebration , we were elated by the flexibility and overwhelming support we received during our first-ever Virtual Gala! For 2-hours you tweeted, posted gifs, reshared posts and sent in touching photos and videos all to support our cause. At the end of the night, we raised $300,000 .
 
Thank you to all our supporters,  sponsors , auction bidders, and donors for  your contributions!  This incredible  support allows us to continue introducing children to the joys of reading with a caring mentor by their side.
It's National Volunteer Month! This month we celebrate service and give thanks to all our amazing volunteer mentors who open up new worlds for our kids by sharing books, and fostering a love of reading and learning. We are so appreciative of our volunteers and the smiles and joy they bring to our students. Meet some of our stellar volunteer mentors below:
Ways to Support Everybody Wins DC
Monthly Supporter Program
In honor of our 25th birthday, we’re looking for  25 new monthly supporters who can give at least $25 a month to ensure students receive the benefits of shared reading . Thank you to our first 10 supporters, just 15 more to go!


Amazon Smile
Smile a little more with Amazon Smile!

Are you online shopping more than usual these days? Buy your everyday household goods and groceries through Amazon Smile and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to EWDC to support our mission (at no cost to you) . Shop via smile.amazon.com and select the "Everybody Wins DC" as your charity.

Save the Amazon extension to your browser here .