Everybody Wins D.C.: Connection through Reading
By • December 3, 2025 0 283
By Ryan Allen
For 30 years, Everybody Wins DC has held a simple but powerful belief: one caring adult can transform a child’s relationship with books. What began in 1995 as a bipartisan initiative pairing senators with elementary school students near the Capitol has since grown into a D.C. area-wide literacy effort grounded in connection, encouragement and joy.
The non-profit organization fosters literacy and social-emotional skills by creating a positive experience around reading. At the heart of EWDC is Power Readers, which pairs volunteers with students in grades 1 through 5 at six public elementary schools. There’s no pressure or judgment—just a relaxed space, focused attention, and genuine companionship. Some mentor–student relationships last a year; others continue until the child enters middle school.
Tuckernuck’s Larah Weinstein and Ellen Swanson lead StoryTime at a participating elementary school.
Georgetown resident Ellen Waugh has been mentoring for two years and now works with a 1st grader who she claims “…wasn’t very excited to work with me in the beginning and didn’t say a word. Now he lights up when he sees me, has a big smile and lots to say!” Although Waugh feels that she gets more out of the exchange than her reading partners, “It’s one-to-one time that a lot of them don’t get anywhere else.”
EWDC’s has additional programs like StoryTime, a read-aloud series that brings students together for shared books and guided discussion, and the Book Project, which helps children build home libraries. Each donated book includes a handwritten note of encouragement.
Tuckernuck, a Georgetown-headquartered lifestyle and apparel retailer, also partners with the organization. Employees have hosted StoryTime sessions and participated in EWDC’s Back to School, Back to Books event in September, where volunteers helped process books for the children to take home. In the 2024-25 program year, more than 5,000 children were served and 12,000 books distributed.
Tuckernuck employees process books at a Back to School, Back to Books event in September, kicking off the 2025-26 school year.
Concerns about declining literacy abound, as highlighted by The Atlantic’s October cover story “America is Sliding Towards Illiteracy”. EWDC shows that solutions often start small, in this case, one book at a time. If you’re interested in sharing your love of reading, connect with EWDC. You can volunteer an hour a week, host a book drive, or donate a book with a personal note. Individual donations and corporate funding help keep the programs 100% free for all participants. Additional information and opportunities can be found at https://everybodywinsdc.org.
