Everybody Wins DC

At EWDC, our vision is that every child has the support needed to thrive at home, at school, and in their communities. But we know that this isn’t the reality for many children in the DC area, especially those from historically marginalized or underserved communities. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to help kids build a strong foundation for future success - and we do it all through reading. For over 30 years, Everybody Wins DC has used books to help children build the literacy and social-emotional skills needed to thrive in the classroom and in life. Through one-on-one mentoring, read-aloud events, and free book distributions, our students become stronger readers, enthusiastic learners, and confident individuals. But that’s not all. Our programs connect volunteers with their communities, provide schools with supplemental support, and promote empathy, understanding, and inclusion.

At EWDC, our goal is to help children build not just a love of reading, but skills needed to thrive in the classroom and beyond through our three main programs: Power Readers, StoryTime, and the Book Project. Through our Power Readers program, we facilitate weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions between our students and caring members of the community serving as volunteer mentors. The beauty of this program is the lack of curriculum – our mentors do not teach students to read; they simply provide a safe and judgement-free space for students to practice reading and nurture their love for books. StoryTime is a read-aloud program that models positive reading behaviors and uses books to explore themes, such as career exploration and social justice. It brings together students and volunteers to connect over a book and guided discussion. StoryTime participants also receive a free book to take home to add to their personal libraries. The Book Project, EWDC's free distribution program, increases access to books that engage, empower, and inspire young readers and helps build diverse and representative home libraries. Through The Book Project, we give books to all Power Readers and StoryTime participants, fill our 20+ Little Free Library locations across the DMV, and host large-scale giveaway events that put thousands of books directly into kids' hands each year.