[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6396]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, as we celebrate National Volunteer Week, I 
would like to take a moment to recognize four individuals for their 
extraordinary service to the Everybody Wins! program in Iowa.
  As many of my colleagues know, Everybody Wins! is a literacy and 
mentoring program for elementary school students. The program gives 
adults the opportunity to spend one lunch hour a week reading with a 
child in a public school. It is the ultimate power lunch.
  Eight years ago, Senator Jim Jeffords recruited me to join him as a 
volunteer for the Everybody Wins! program in Washington, DC. The time I 
spend at Brent Elementary is the most important and rewarding hour of 
my workweek. My experience also convinced me of the need to expand this 
program to Iowa.
  In 2002, Everybody Wins! Iowa was launched. The program began as a 
small pilot program in 3 public schools with 15 volunteers. From this 
modest beginning, the program has grown, and now serves more than 260 
students in 11 central Iowa schools.
  The success of the Iowa program is due to the dedicated services of 
many individuals. Today, I would like to recognize the service of four 
people who served as founding members of the board of directors and who 
have played a critical role in the development of Everybody Wins! Iowa.
  Ray Walton was the initial spark to get the program started in Iowa. 
Ray recruited the organization's first executive director and served as 
one of the first volunteers in the program. He also served as vice 
president and later as president of the board of directors. His 
leadership and dedication guided Everybody Wins! Iowa in those 
important early days.
  Wilma Gajdel served on the board of directors for 3 years. She is 
also the principal at Monroe Elementary, one of the three original 
Everybody Wins! schools. The input of educators is critical to the 
success of Everybody Wins!, and Wilma's guidance has been invaluable. 
The Everybody Wins! Iowa model was developed at Monroe under her 
careful eye and has been adapted successfully by other schools in 
central Iowa.
  Drew Gentsch served as the organization's first treasurer. In 
addition, he is a volunteer reader at Monroe Elementary, the father of 
two young children, and a busy attorney. Drew has also served as the 
chair of the board's finance committee, and he contributed many hours 
as he led the hiring committee for the board's first executive 
director. His professionalism and attention to detail have helped the 
organization flourish and grow.
  B. MacPaul Stanfield is another busy attorney and father of two. He 
has served as secretary of Everybody Wins! Iowa and is a volunteer 
reader at Monroe. He previously served as chair of the organization's 
personnel committee. Mac held one of the most important positions on 
the board as the person responsible for recording the minutes of the 
meetings and attending to the myriad of other details that go into the 
successful operation of a small nonprofit organization.
  Service on a volunteer board of directors is not easy and requires 
hours of dedicated service. These four individuals gave generously of 
their time and talents to Everybody Wins! Iowa during its infancy. That 
service provided a strong foundation for the organization. As they 
leave the board, I wish to express my sincere gratitude for their 
dedicated and selfless service.

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