Staff member Lisa Mata and an elementary student at P.S. 125 enjoy reading during one of their power lunch sessions.

He may look like a little boy. But if you ask Mamud, he is really the scientist who invented rocket shoes. (And an artist, of course.) That is what he said this week, his imagination fueled by an hour of The Adventures of Indiana Jones, a book that he reads with his Columbia buddy at lunchtime on Fridays.

Mamud is a student at P.S. 125, an elementary school on W. 123nd and Amsterdam, close to Harlem and three blocks down the hill from Columbia. Three months ago when Columbia became involved in the national Everybody Wins program, which encourages literacy by having professionals read with elementary school children weekly, the number of volunteer readers at the Harlem school leapt to more than 150. One hundred-thirty of the readers are Columbia administrators, faculty, staff and students who signed up with Columbia's Power Lunch/Everybody Wins program and were matched with a student in October following orientations held by Human Resources. All have signed on for a second semester, having greatly enjoyed the time spent with their very own VIP during Columbia Power Lunch sessions.

"This program has become so popular that the children have begun to compete to be in the program," said Charmaine Blue, director at Human Resources and Columbia's Power Lunch director, who has led campus recruitment and orientations for the program. "But there are only as many Power Lunch spots for the children as there are volunteers and there are 500 children in the school. So we have 350 more to go."

The P.S. 125 Power Lunch is not your typical high stakes suit and tie affair. Tuesday through Friday for one hour around lunchtime, different shifts of readers and listeners gather in the school's library to share lunch over a book. The air is tinged with excited young voices reading to their mentors or sharing the latest news in their lives. But even with the chatter from up to 10 pairs in the library, all eyes and ears are focused on books, undistracted.

"The majority of these kids are in classrooms with more than thirty students and it is hard in such circumstances to give one-on-one attention to each. This program is fulfilling that need," said Cathy Keller, the school's Everybody Wins coordinator, who has overseen the school's program for three years. "By exploring different genres of books, things they would not normally read in class, the students are discovering that books are far from boring."

In addition to improving their reading level, the program helps students to broaden their sense of community. "There is more to life than what they see at home and at school and this program helps them to see that," said Keller. And the same holds true for Columbians.

"This program provides an opportunity for Columbians to enrich their lunch hour," said Larry Dais, assistant vice president for public affairs. "By reading to young ones, they become mentors, and in the process, get to know some of our smaller neighbors."

While the benefit to students is clear, Columbians' motivations behind volunteering at P.S. 125 reveals a true commitment to volunteerism and more.

Lisa Mata, a staff member of Student Information Systems, who spends every Friday reading to her student April, signed up because of a long-time interest in volunteering. In the sixth grade, she had her first experience tutoring first graders. "April reads to me and I read to her, but it isn't just a matter of reading," said Mata. "We love to realize things we have in common."

In the case of Mamud and Brian Robinson, both look forward to breaking from their daily grinds to meet together over a book.

"It is such a relief to get out of the office, away from high expectations and just be with someone who wants to read to you," said Robinson. But the time he spends with Mamud is much more than a change of pace. For him Mamud has become the little brother he never had.

There are a number of different sessions in the Columbia Power Lunch for P.S. 125. Even solidly booked senior officials, such as Executive Vice President Emily Lloyd, find time weekly to read to their students.

While Charmaine Blue expects to recruit a number of new volunteers this semester, she is also building on the program's impact by adding a book drive.

"We wanted to bring the benefit of Columbia Power Lunch to a greater number of students at the school. By supplementing the existing library with new and used books, we can fuel the students who have become hooked on reading and those who don't have a place in the program," said Blue.

The P.S. 125 Columbia Power Lunch Book Drive begins Feb. 16 through April 6. Book donors can bring their favorites from home or purchase new books at a discount and deposit them at a drop off location in the Columbia and Teachers College Book Stores. The next orientation session for new volunteers will be held Fri., Feb. 16, in Lerner's Satow Room, 11 a.m. to noon. Those interested should RSVP at everybodywins@columbia.edu.

The Columbia Power Lunch program is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources, the Office of Community Affairs and Community Impact.