Everybody Wins DC

Thanks to the Peter H. & Dana Gunn Winslow Foundation, Inc., we’ve been able to bring more moments of reading joy like this to our students. The Winslow Foundation provided us with $5,000 to support The Book Project and $5,000 to expand StoryTime activities, all for kids ages 3-6 in Wards 7 and 8. This means early childhood education students like the ones you see here at Savoy Elementary, and others at Van Ness Elementary School, get more books and more reading role models. Thank you to the Peter H. & Dana Gunn Winslow Foundation, Inc. for supporting our students and making reading magic happen.

EWDC is proud to announce that we’ll be honoring the Washington Nationals with our 2025 Community Champion Award at this year’s Read to Dream celebration. Everybody Wins DC is guided by a simple yet powerful idea: when children read, they can achieve their dreams. That’s why EWDC connects over 5,000 kids each year to reading programs. But we can’t do it alone. Our kids’ dreams can only become a reality with the help of key players in EWDC’s partner lineup. And this year’s champion is the Washington Nationals! For almost two decades, our partnership with the Washington Nationals has helped thousands of children become stronger readers, more confident individuals, and find joy in books. Beyond their work with EWDC, the Nationals have made literacy a top priority, connecting communities across the greater DC area with reading resources and support. The Washington Nationals are true champions of literacy, and we are proud to have the team as part of the EWDC family. Help us celebrate the Nationals by joining us on May 1 at Nationals Park or make a Read to Dream donation in the team’s honor by going to bit.ly/EWDC-R2D-25-Tickets.

At EWDC, we're lucky to have so many dedicated volunteers help us spread reading joy in so many ways. Francisco Ayala was a star StoryTime guest reader at Leleck ES. He read "Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park" to a group of 1st graders who were enthralled by every word! Thank you to Franco and the rest of our StoryTime volunteers for bringing these stories to life and creating moments of reading magic for our students.

EWDC is proud to announce that we will honor Mary Salander, Everybody Wins DC’s co-founder and former Executive Director, with the Read to Dream Founder’s Award during our 30th anniversary celebration May 1, 2025 at Nationals Park. Mary has worked tirelessly to bring the magic of reading to children across the DC area in the name of one powerful idea: when children read, they can achieve their dreams. Mary and friend Joanie Chase co-founded EWDC in the spring of 1995, working with Congress to bring together a bipartisan team of Senators and Senate staff to read with elementary students for an hour a week during the school year. Modeled after a similar effort started a few years earlier in New York City, the idea was that through one-on-one attention, mentors could help children build their reading skills and fall in love with books. A few years later, Mary took on the role of Executive Director, expanding programs, launching new activities, and increasing the organization’s reach. During her time with EWDC, the organization served over 60,000 students, an incredible accomplishment. Her passion and vision made EWDC into what it is today: a high-impact nonprofit that supports literacy and social-emotional development and sparks reading joy for thousands of students across the greater DC area. To this day, Mary remains involved in EWDC as a supporter and volunteer. Join us in honoring Mary Salander at Read to Dream by going to bit.ly/EWDC-R2D-25-Tickets.

In May 2024, Allison, a 4th grade student from Thomson Elementary School, stood in front of 300 people at our annual Read to Dream gala and shared what EWDC means to her: “Being in Power Readers has improved my reading and made me love books. When I first started reading, I was very shy and didn’t like to read out loud. But look at me now!” Since 1995, EWDC has helped students like Allison become stronger readers and more confident individuals. Join us in celebrating 30 years of reading magic at this year’s Read to Dream on May 1, 2025, at Nationals Park. Last year, Read to Dream sponsors and attendees helped EWDC connect 4,650 children with mentors, group read-aloud events, and free books. And we did it all at no cost to families or school partners. With your help, this year’s Read to Dream can do even more. Go to bit.ly/EWDC-R2D-25-Tickets to spend an amazing evening with us at Nationals Park, where you will hear from EWDC students and alumni, get a chance to bid on exclusive auction items, and make a difference in the lives of thousands of children across the DC area.

Last Friday, 20+ of our sponsor organizations and community partners sent volunteers to help us celebrate Read Across America Day, which also marked our 30th birthday as an organization. 100+ volunteers helped us process 1,500+ books throughout the day, over half of which went straight to our schools, community partners, and Little Free Libraries for distribution immediately after the event. Special thank you to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates for hosting and making this impact possible. Thank you to everyone who joined us in our effort to put stories in the hands of the children who need them the most. Thanks to your help, students will find inspiration, connection, and joy on each page. To keep our 30th anniversary reading celebration going, go to https://lnkd.in/egiTPAmU and join us for Read to Dream at Nationals Park on May 1. Accenture Blackbaud Booz Allen Hamilton CTIA EAB Kyndryl Library of Congress Shell Taste of the South National Retail Federation DC Attorney General JBG SMITH Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates Washington Nationals

Thanks to funds from Capitol Hill Community Foundation (DC), we’ve been able to expand StoryTime read-aloud events at our Capitol Hill partner schools: Van Ness ES, Chisholm ES, and J.O. Wilson ES. Thank you CHCF for giving us the support needed to provide our students with opportunities to build core literacy skills and connections through reading.

In 2001, First Lady Laura Bush joined EWDC for a special reading event. Moved by the enthusiasm of our volunteers and students, she sent our co-founders this note. In honor of our 30th anniversary, we're celebrating our past and present at Read to Dream on May 1 at Nationals Park. Learn all about sponsorship opportunities, or how to join us in making history with our most extraordinary celebration of reading magic yet at https://lnkd.in/egiTPAmU.

Last summer, EWDC received the inaugural Riz Kids Partners for Change grant from the Rizzo Family Foundation. This $20,000 grant helped us expand Power Readers programming at Van Ness Elementary School — now that we're halfway through the school year, here's some highlights of what this has made possible for Power Readers at Van Ness: -100% increase in weekly mentoring sessions over the school year -Power Readers student enrollment has increased 44% -Power Readers students have read 155 books combined In addition, we've launched a new StoryTime series at Van Ness focusing on social-emotional learning and recruited 11 new mentors through 2 new partner organizations. Thank you to the Rizzo Family Foundation for making all this possible with your support.

Last week, American Forest & Paper Association joined us to process the remaining books from our Association Book Drive Challenge. They prepped 250+ books for distribution in just one hour — what an impact! Each of these books has a note of encouragement tucked inside, handwritten by the volunteers from their team. Thanks to them, the students that receive these books know someone’s out there cheering for their success. Thank you AF&PA for working hard to support our students!