Everybody Wins! "Power Lunch" Program Reaches Milestone of 1,000 Volunteers in Massachusetts

Feb. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- BOSTON, Mass., -- Everybody Wins!, a national literacy and mentoring nonprofit organization dedicated to building literacy skills and promoting a love of reading among low-income elementary students, has reached a milestone in 2010, with over 1,000 business professionals currently enrolled in the “Power Lunch” program in the greater Boston area.

Through the “Power Lunch” program, an initiative launched in New York City in 1991, participating companies nationwide send employees to schools within commuting distance of their offices. Each week, volunteers from businesses and community groups travel to local elementary schools during the lunch hour for one-to-one reading with students, promoting reading skills through reading aloud, and talking about books. While the reading sessions take only one hour per week, the results have been dramatic for adults and students alike.

“We are thrilled that the Everybody Wins! “Power Lunch” program has been so embraced by the business community in Boston,” said Everybody Wins! Metro Boston’s Executive Director, Darcy Madden. “To grow from serving 13 children in 2003 to this milestone of 1,000 Power Lunch mentors in 2010 is incredible and is a testament to the giving spirit of businesses in Boston.”

Everybody Wins! Metro Boston currently runs operations from the corporate headquarters of Boston-based staffing firm, Hollister. CEO Kip Hollister, a volunteer reader and longtime advocate of the program, welcomed the organization into her company’s space in 2006.

“As a staffing organization, we are positioned to do our best philanthropic work in the areas of education and training, two key components of workforce development,” said Hollister. “Everybody Wins! is an outstanding nonprofit because volunteers and students alike reap immediate benefits, and it’s forward-thinking, instilling a love of education in students that will ultimately help them as they grow into young professionals! It’s been extremely rewarding to watch Hollister’s employees develop such close bonds with their students, and feel good about giving back to their community.”

The nonprofit sees volunteers join at all levels of the corporate spectrum, and beyond. The late Senator Edward Kennedy was an ardent supporter of Everybody Wins!, making it a priority to read to students enrolled in the Washington, DC branch of the program for 12 years.

Everybody Wins! Metro Boston has recruited many of the area’s most prominent companies. Currently, The TJX Companies, Inc. hosts the highest number of volunteer readers in the Boston area, with 86 corporate employees reading during their lunch breaks each week.

"TJX and Everybody Wins! share a mutual belief that when we work to improve a child's vocabulary and listening ability, we are building their confidence and giving them essential life tools,” said Jerome Smalls, Vice President of Community Relations with TJX. “This program is a fantastic use of time, and I encourage more companies to participate.”

BNY Mellon is a long-standing corporate member of Everybody Wins!, having signed on with the nonprofit in 2004.

"For more than five years, Power Lunch has been one of our most popular employee volunteer programs," said Celina Miranda, Charitable Giving Manager at BNY Mellon. "Our philanthropic focus is built around 'powering potential' and our partnership with Everybody Wins! does just that. The near-term benefits of reading to children week-in and week-out are great, but the life-long gift it gives them is incalculable."

By the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, Everybody Wins! Metro Boston hopes to have 1,300 volunteers enrolled in “Power Lunch”.  Efforts are currently underway to expand the program’s reach to the Quincy neighborhood and elsewhere in the Boston area.

“Everybody Wins! is a great program where the young students win, our employees win and the program wins through our involvement,” said Jeff Beale, Chief Administrative Officer, Eaton Vance. We are pleased to be able to invest our time in the education of our youth, and this program allows us to do that in a responsible and impactful way.”

For more information on getting your company involved with Everybody Wins! Metro Boston, please visit www.ewmb.org or call Everybody Wins! Metro Boston’s Executive Director Darcy Madden at (617) 654-0334.

ABOUT EVERYBODY WINS
Everybody Wins! is a national literacy and mentoring nonprofit proven to build the skills and love of reading among low-income elementary students.  By bringing volunteer mentors into schools for weekly one-on-one reading experiences, everybody wins! - children, schools, volunteers, their companies and ultimately, society.
- One mentor, one child, one book at a time -

ABOUT HOLLISTER
Hollister is a Boston-based, woman-owned, full-service staffing firm, passionate about connecting Massachusetts’ opportunity with talent in innovative and effective ways. For 21 years, Hollister has been the bridge that connects professionals with jobs in Massachusetts, and companies with the best employees.


Contact: Gillian Seely
gseely@hollisterstaff.com