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| Everybody Wins: Thirty Minutes of Storytelling Makes a Difference in Young People's Lives March 2007
One evening a couple of years ago, lead engineer John Nordmann attended a fundraiser that would turn out to impact his life. After listening to stories about children learning to love reading through a one-on-one "buddy" program with adults, Nordmann realized that the program—called Everybody Wins—would be a perfect match for MITRE volunteers. Over the next few months, Nordmann created a partnership with the Everybody Wins team at a local elementary school in Billerica, Mass., and rounded up six employee volunteers through MITRE's internal volunteers website. Following a brief orientation session with Everybody Wins staff held on MITRE's Bedford, Mass., campus, the group got off the ground in February 2005. Each volunteer was paired with a first, second, or third grader at the elementary school. The students, who earn the privilege to participate in the program, run the gamut of reading levels from beginner to advanced. For 30 minutes each week during the student's lunch period, the mentor reads aloud to the student from a book of their choice. All the volunteers agree that the program is a wonderful opportunity to mentor kids and help them develop. "I read to my own kids from day one," explains Jim Smallwood, an information systems engineer. "Everybody Wins seemed like a great way to continue that tradition and do good at the same time. The short time commitment, convenience, and MITRE civic time [a program that gives employees paid time off for civic or community work done during the workday] were enticing too." In fact, the program supports flexible arrangements. Some volunteer weekly, while others, like Nordmann and associate department head Marcie Zaharee, share a student and trade off weeks due to their busy schedules. "The arrangement works out great," they say. "We both really enjoy reading to Henri, and he gets two mentors for the price of one!" A Two-Way Street "When I was growing up, my parents read to me all the time," says Sara Cheeseman, an information analyst. "I knew what a difference it made in my life, and in how I did in school, so I wanted to share that experience with a young person," she continues. "It's rewarding to see how much my student, Jessica, enjoys reading." It's clear the students value the experience as well. As Smallwood puts it, "When I drive up to the school, I can see all the kids waiting for us. They're excited to see us." Eileen Allen, a senior administrative assistant, echoes Smallwood's comments. "I can tell that my student is engaged," she says. "Once, we didn't get through the book in one session, so the next time we got together, my student, a first grader, grabbed the book off the shelf and opened up to the exact page where we had left off." Learning Never Ends The mentoring program wrapped up the 2005-2006 school year with a celebratory brunch attended by students, mentors, parents, and teachers. Volunteers presented their student with books specially chosen for them to read over the summer. Carol Spooner, a human resources associate, chose an illustrated version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for her student, Olivia. According to Olivia's mother, who Spooner emailed after the brunch, Olivia was already halfway through the book a day later! Most of the volunteers continued with the program for the 2006-2007 school year. "Every time I leave the school after reading to Henri, I come out with a lighter attitude," says Nordmann.
Page last updated: March 19, 2007 | Top of page |
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