My Volunteer Experience

My name is Tracy Warren and I’m a senior at AIB College of Business.  One of my requirements for graduation is to complete 30 Service Learning hours with a non-profit organization.  I had never volunteered before but was excited about the opportunity to find a non-profit that meant something to me.  My goal was to find a non-profit where I could complete my 30 hours and also enjoy volunteering with them so much that I would want to continue to volunteer with them.

I started my hours with Everybody Wins! Iowa in August of 2010 and just completed my 30 hours a couple of weeks ago.  I chose Everybody Wins! Iowa because I truly believe in the importance of reading with young children as it helps children to develop, grow, and learn during their formative years.  I also love children and feel grateful to be able to help support an organization that supports children.  I spent most of my hours atEverybody Wins! Iowa working in their office, which is located at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.  The church so kindly donates space for the Everybody Wins! Iowa staff/volunteers and is a wonderful supporter of this non-profit.  My tasks in the office varied weekly.  I did anything from folding and cutting a few hundred Thank You cards for volunteers to setting up a new printer to actually designing and creating this blog for Everybody Wins! Iowa.  One of the most important things I have learned from my volunteer experience is that no task is ever too small.  I always felt satisfied to complete the smallest of tasks because I knew that every bit of help was much appreciated.

A few months into my Service Learning hours, I decided it was time to practice what I preach and commit to volunteering with the Power Lunch program.  I read on Tuesdays at the Downtown School to a 5^th grade boy.  I’m also a firm believer that you should never stop learning and my reader helps me to achieve this every week by choosing books about sharks, famous athletes, sports, and other topics that I probably wouldn’t actually read myself.  Someday when I get into a conversation about sharks, I’m going to know what I’m talking about.  J  I really look forward to my reading time and always come back to my desk a little more relaxed and less stressed.  It’s always a great feeling to see the excitement on my reader’s face when he sees me come through the door every Tuesday.  He’s always anxious to tell me about his weekend or what is going on his life. 

Now that my 30 hours are complete, I feel that I’ve met my goal and I’m anxious to continue volunteering with Everybody Wins! Iowa  .  I hope to be able to volunteer more of my time with them in the future and would encourage anyone who is looking for a volunteer opportunity to get involved with this organization.  They are always looking for caring volunteers to reach more children.  Volunteering is one of the most rewarding experiences and I promise you won’t regret it! 

Everybody Wins! Iowa Staff

My name is Andrew Brice and I’m currently a senior at Drake University. You may be asking yourself how I got myself involved with Everybody Wins! Iowa. Well, ponder no more as that is exactly what I am here to share. It all started when I was born on a beautiful spring day in 1989 in Arlington Heights, Illinois…a day just like any other… ok well for the sake of time I’ll skip ahead a few years.

 This past semester I was looking to get more involved in the community and look outside the friendly confines of Drake University. It was then that I came upon an opportunity to work for AmeriCorps. The program was called ICAP and it was for college students to complete 300 community service hours with a local non-profit organization. At the completion of the 300 hours the students receive an education award to help pay off student loans.  I felt it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself and possibly make a difference in the community.

I’ve been a part of Everybody Wins! Iowa for 4 months and I’m already looking forward to the next 6 months. The experience thus far has been very rewarding. I have especially enjoyed seeing the positive influence Everybody Wins! has on volunteers and students. It put a smile on my face when I was reading through the student surveys. The final question was “Do you like your mentor?”. They were asked to answer 1-5 with 1 being no and 5 being yes. One of the students didn’t believe that 5 gave enough credit to his mentor so he went ahead and crossed out all the numbers and wrote the number 10 and circled it. Those survey responses prove that Everybody Wins! Iowa is making a difference in the children’s lives. 

 My service thus far has primarily been behind the scenes working with Tyler on different projects and brainstorming improvements. Currently we are working on new programs to help more children and to show everyone how easy it is to make a difference in someone’s life. If you or anyone you know is interested in making a difference with Everybody Wins! Iowa, just let us know!

January is National Mentoring Month

Happy 2011!

Everybody Wins! Iowa is kicking off 2011 with National Mentoring 

Month, happening throughout January! Our very own power lunch mentor, Kathy Stevens, has been nominated for the 2010 Excellence in Mentoring Award. Kathy has been chosen because of her outstanding mentoring skills, and dedication to the program. Nominated by Berg school coordinator, Mariah Wormley, Kathy has been mentoring for over two years, and showed leadership, innovation, impact, and commitment to the power lunch program. If chosen, she will be one of five who will be honored at 1:30 pm on January 27^th, Annual Mentoring Day.

Throughout the month of January, Everybody Wins! Iowa will be raising awareness about the positive benefits of mentoring a child and will encourage local community members to get involved. National Mentoring Month creates an environment that allows Everybody Wins! Iowa to recruit and recognize mentors while raising awareness about our organization. We will be recognizing our 300+ volunteers who are involved with power lunch, power breakfast, and those who help at volunteer events.

Here are some dates to remember:

January 18-22: Everybody Wins! Iowa volunteers will be holding a book drive to collect books for our 13 Des Moines area schools.  Email jena@everybodywinsiowa.org if you'd like to help!

January 25: The 8^th annual Thank Your Mentor Day.  Don’t forget to thank YOUR mentor!

January 27^th: Annual Mentoring Day on the Hill. Everybody Wins! Iowa will be educating the Iowa Legislature about the positive benefits of mentoring youth.

If you are interested in helping us thank our volunteers, donate some time to volunteering, or become a mentor for our Power Lunch program, feel free to call or email us at (515) 277-7590, or visit everybodywinsiowa.org