When adults read to children, two things happen: first, children realize that books are worthwhile and second, children realize that THEY are worthwhile. This year,150 students from P.S. 125, a neighborhood elementary school at 123rd St. and Amsterdam Avenue, gained both from150 Columbia faculty, staff and students who dedicated one hour per week as Columbia's first Power Lunch reading partners.

The Columbia program has been a success since it began in October 2000, when Charmaine Blue, director of Human Resources assumed the role of campus coordinator to encourage University participation in a local Power Lunch program sponsored by the Everybody Wins! Foundation, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children learn to read. With the recruitment of 130 Columbia students, faculty and staff in the first month, the number of volunteers in the public school's program mushroomed from 20 to 150. Since that time, 20 additional Columbia volunteers have been linked with children from P.S. 125. Also, 400 books were donated to the school by Columbians during an on campus book drive organized by Human Resources this spring and donations were made to the school to further support the program.

While reading is the objective, books are just the beginning. "There is a very real bond that develops between a mentor and his or her reading partner," said Cathy Keller, Everybody Wins coordinator for P.S. 125. "Mentors become like a big brother or sister to the students. They really look up to them."

The depth of that bond was evident at a recent luncheon celebrating the completion of Columbia's first year in the program. Smiles and hugs were shared between mentors and students and reading pairs walked hand in hand to their tables. More than 300 attended the event held in Lerner's Roone Arledge Auditorium.

"As you look around this room, you see something that is extremely valuable," said Ms. Sherman, principal of P.S. 125, who spoke to the group. "These are partnerships between adults and children that transcend cultural, sociological and economic lines. These children are our future and we are thankful to Everybody Wins! for bringing the community into our school. Because it takes an entire community to educate a child."

Since 1991, the Everybody Wins! Power Lunch program has connected employees from businesses and corporations with public school children to read together for one hour a week. Today the program is in 30 cities. More than 2,200 New York City elementary children read weekly with partners from businesses, corporations through the program. Now, with the addition of Columbia University, employees of New York City institutions of higher learning are participating.

"This is a fantastic program because it gives Columbians the opportunity to get to know some of the terrific children from our neighboring communities," said Emily Lloyd, executive vice president for administration and a Columbia Power Lunch volunteer. "It's really a small time commitment—one hour a week—and it is one meeting you know you will enjoy."

The Columbia program is also serving a great need, with many students from P.S. 125 still remaining on a waiting list for a reading partner. "The school has 450 students. Our goal is to have all of them pared with a reading partner by the fall. We need 300 more volunteers. I know we can do it," said Blue. Lloyd's student partner, for example, waited for two years to be linked with her mentor.

Columbia participants are following the lead of Everybody Wins President Arthur Tannenbaum, former CFO of CHF Industries, who founded the program because he missed reading with children.

"There are so many children going through the public schools never learning to read or write," said Tannenbaum. "Kids need one on one time to learn to read. If they have no one to read to them it is difficult for them to learn."

The program will resume next fall, with the same mentors hopefully being reunited with their reading partners. But for some reading partners, three months is too long to wait. Some pairs will write to one another over the summer.

Orientations for new volunteers will be held in September. For more information write to cupowerlunch@columbia.edu and stay tuned for a new Columbia Power Lunch website to be launched by HR this fall.