Thank you!

Thanks to your support, the Race to the Top of Vermont raised over $35,000 to help keep Everybody Wins! mentors meeting with children for another year.

It was a cold, rainy Sunday on Mt. Mansfield but spirits were high for the annual Race to the Top of Vermont. A stalwart team of 6 from Everybody Wins! joined the climb to the top.

At the summit, a group of Everybody Wins! volunteers, including Carl from Northfield Savings Bank, staffed the aid station at the finish line.

Board president Dawn Carey passed around her orange puffy coat to keep everyone from freezing in the rain & mist.

Down at the base, Everybody Wins! staff  and board, and Jessica from Northfield Savings Bank, helped with registration and staffed the Everybody Wins! booth, overseen by the giant Delta Dental tooth!

At noon, the Kids Fun Run took off around the field, and every child who participated picked out a brand new book from Everybody Wins! to take home.

Some families sat down right away to read their new books, over a maple creemee of course!

Despite the cold and the cloudbursts coming through every hour or so, it was another  great day on Mt. Mansfield. All day long contributions to our Race to the Top fundraiser kept coming, reinforcing our commitment and keeping us warm.

In the end, we exceeded our goal and raised $35,000 in contributions, meeting our challenge goal which will add another $5000. Thank you!

It’s not too late to support Everybody Wins! and the Race to the Top! You can click here to go to our fundraising page and help us to keep kids reading this year—without the wind and rain!

Big thanks to Northfield Savings Bank for sponsoring the Race to the Top of Vermont again in 2026! We love working with this hometown mutual bank and we’re so grateful for their support of children and reading.

We will see you on top of Mount Mansfield on August 30th!

Community Bank friends left to right Joey Connor (Barre City branch manager), Courtney Pray (Waterbury branch manager), Matt Plass (regional president for New England), and Erinn Perry (behind the camera!) visited our book room in July to talk about children, reading, and mentoring.

We celebrated the 160th anniversary of Community Bank with cake and they delivered a special anniversary contribution to Everybody Wins! Thank you, Community Bank, for using your anniversary to do good and make things better for children.

In the book room to greet them were Everybody Wins! staff (left to right) Beth Wallace (executive director), Neha Shukla (operations manager), and Suzie Smith (project specialist and bookroom steward extraordinaire).

November is National Mentoring Month.

February is “I Love to Read” Month.

Vermont just got 14″ of snow and it’s been below zero at night for weeks.

Time for a cozy quilt raffle to warm things up a bit!

This beautiful rainbow scrap quilt, made by quilter extraordinaire Toni Williams, is being raffled off to support Everybody Wins! in Claremont and across the state. It measures 68″ by 74″ and will be shipped to the lucky winner after the drawing on Monday March 2nd.

Tickets are only $5, or $20 for 5, and you can get yours here.

Toni Williams, a retired teacher, was the long-time coordinator at Bluff Elementary School in Claremont, NH, and an expert quilter. She has donated a quilt to Everybody Wins! to raffle off for 5 years now!

Bluff School was unfortunately closed by the district this year in a financial crisis, but Everybody Wins! will work with other elementary schools in Claremont to reopen in the fall of 2026 in another school.

Don’t miss your chance at brightening up your life with a cozy Toni Williams quilt!

Use this QR code to get your tickets:

Good luck! We wish we could send everyone one of Toni’s quilts to keep you warm this winter!

“…was so incredible I have not stopped reading since!”

Penny Ly had a mentor as a child for two years from 2012 to 2014. This fall she applied to mentor herself in Burlington. These words are from her mentor application (used with permission).

And here’s a photo of Penny, her little sister Ruby, and their mentors at school.

Donors to Everybody Wins! Vermont ought to be in this photo too, because YOU made it possible. You bought the books for the book cart. You helped screen and orient mentors. You were there every day as the coordinator talked with Penny and Ruby and matched them with mentors who would care about them and read with them.

Your gift to Everybody Wins! today helps children around Vermont share joy in reading and in companionship. It tells kids that they aren’t alone. It shows them that their community cares about them enough to show up for them every week at school.

This month, a child in Burlington is being matched with Penny as a mentor. They are going to experience that same joy. Because of you, they will learn new words, talk about books, play games, and share the love of reading.

Let’s face it: these are frightening times for grown-ups, let alone for children. Our bills grow every month. The future of the U.S. is uncertain. When the world outside is scary, it takes a special kind of person to think beyond your own worries.

You are one of those people who think about the kids, especially when things are tough. And because of your compassion, children around Vermont are a little more connected to their community.  They feel a little safer—even for a moment. Despite the stress and fear, they know that someone cares about them enough to show up, week after week.

Every time a mentor walks into a school this year, you are there.

Every time a child’s face lights up with joy to see them, you are there.

You are there in every new word, every giggle over a silly book, every quick hug, and every deep conversation.

You were there for Penny, and you’ll be there for her new mentee.

And maybe, 10 years from now, Penny’s mentee will fill out an application to read with another child. Because of your vision, the chain of joy and books and connection will go on.

I am so grateful for your kindness and your dedication. Thank you so much for  making things better for children.

P.S. That link to give again: click here to support children and reading!

Beth Wallace

Executive Director

email Beth

Thank you to Fidium Fiber for sponsoring Everybody Wins! in the Race to the Top of Vermont!

On Sunday, August 24th, friends of children and reading from around the state will meet up at the Mount Mansfield Toll Road to help raise funds to keep children reading with their mentors, no matter what. Thanks to Fidium Fiber for joining the team!

We Race for the engagement and joy on these faces and others all over the state. Join us!

We are grateful to Northfield Savings Bank for sponsoring the Everybody Wins! team at the 2025 Race to the Top!The Race to the Top of Vermont takes place on Sunday, August 24. It supports readers like these mentoring pairs in Northfield and around the state!

The National Mentoring Month Cozy Quilt Raffle was won by Kathy Jones of Hanover, NH. Kathy is herself a quilter, so this seems very apt.

This year’s Quilt Raffle raised $4000, twice the total of previous quilt raffles.

Thank you to everyone who bought tickets and made additional contributions! Your generosity is what keeps pairs like Payson and Elaine, from Bluff School in Claremont, reading together year after year:

And one more huge thank you to Toni Williams, amazing quilt artist and wonderful Claremont coordinator, for donating this quilt and past ones. Thank you, Toni!

It’s National Mentoring Month! A wonderful time to support children and their mentors.

Tremendously talented Claremont coordinator Toni Williams has donated a gorgeous quilt in support of Everybody Wins! Thank you, Toni!

Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20, and are available only online at this link: https://bit.ly/QuiltRaffle25.

50% of raffle ticket sales will support Claremont Everybody Wins!, and 50% will support the organization statewide.

The quilt measures approximately 70″ by 70″ — a great throw blanket or to hang over the sides of a twin bed. The quilt composition of rich jewel tones is complimented by a backing in a gorgeous deep forest green pattern, with an intricate quilting pattern throughout!

More information and YOUR chance to win this beautiful quilt at this link: https://bit.ly/QuiltRaffle25

Or scan this QR code to be taken to the raffle site:Thank you for taking a chance on children! Good luck, everyone!

We couldn’t be happier to have Neha Shukla join Everybody Wins! Vermont! as the operations manager at our Montpelier office. Neha’s broad experience, her smarts, and her friendly demeanor make her a perfect match for this busy position that serves as a hub for the entire organization.

Neha is an artist and a mom of two awesome kids. With her family, she calls a beautiful valley in Worcester, Vermont home.  Before joining Everybody Wins!, Neha worked as an office manager at a local architecture firm and before that, she coordinated all things food-related in the running of an elementary school food service program.  She finds joy in art, cooking, books, and of course the people she loves.  She also loves exploring the surrounding mountains and forests with her family.

We are delighted to welcome Neha to our central office admin team!