From the inside out, Kayla Zsido knows the difference that Everybody Wins! Vermont makes in the lives of children. When she was eight years old, she became an Everybody Wins! mentee at Rutland Intermediate School (RIS). From the moment she met her mentor, Sue Ahearn, Kayla’s confidence blossomed. “I always looked forward to that day,” she reflects. “It was just really fun!” She was struggling with reading, but the one-on-one attention she received from Sue gave her skills that she carries with her to this day. Now, she loves to read—and she’s passing that love of books on to another child. Continue reading “It was really fun being a mentee, and it’s even more fun being a mentor.” →

Everybody Wins! Vermont makes children’s lives better—and Beth Sightler is the first to tell you so. Everybody Wins! made a big change in her son Will’s life. “Will had been slow to read,” Beth recalls. “[His] teacher approached us; we found out he had a visual impairment in one of his eyes that we weren’t aware of. We thought he wouldn’t progress at a normal rate in school.” Then, Will joined the Everybody Wins! Vermont mentoring program, and everything changed. Continue reading “I got a higher reading level, and I think that was because of Jim.” →

“Our weekly reading period is a mental break for both of us. I find it rejuvenating to set aside my own concerns for an hour and put myself in the shoes of a ten year old.” Scott Silverstein is an Everybody Wins! mentor at the Waitsfield Elementary School. He has only glowing things to say about his ten- year-old mentee, Riley, and their relationship. Continue reading “Reading together is a mental break for both of us.” →

Tracy Lord moved from Georgia to Vermont in March of 2016 to be closer to her family—and found a rich connection to a child and reading community in Burlington.  Tracy loves to read herself, loves kids, and had already been involved with an adult literacy program in Georgia. She had a strong desire to give back to children and her new community.

“My dad was a literature professor at Hofstra University on Long Island. I just hate to hear a kid say, I don’t like to read.” Continue reading “I just hate to hear a kid say, I don’t like to read.” →

Eat delicious barbeque and help children read!

On Wednesday 11/15/17, Bluebird Barbecue will donate 10% of the entire evening’s sales to Everybody Wins! Vermont to support reading mentors in Chittenden County at J.J.Flynn, Edmunds, and Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes in Burlington and the Shelburne Community School.

Make a reservation at Bluebird Barbecue to keep children reading with mentors in Chittenden County.

Book your table or schedule take-out:

bluebirdbbq.com/reserve

802-448-3070

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