Our Mission
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 almost 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. When children read, everybody wins.
Our History
In 1995, a bipartisan group of Senators and Senate staff, led by Senator James Jeffords (R-VT) and Senator Paul Simon (D-IL), began volunteering their time to read with elementary school students at a public elementary school just steps from the Capitol Building.
Modeled after a similar effort in New York City, Senators Jeffords and Simon believed that this quality time reading together would help children develop critical skills needed to support academic and social growth.
Based on the success of those early reading sessions, the program grew into what is now Everybody Wins DC, a non-profit serving children and families across the region through shared reading.
