Nancy Heman has been a mentor with Everybody Wins! Iowa since 2014. Prior to this she was a
preschool teacher for 18 years. When she retired she decided to volunteer with Everybody Wins
because of the READ TO SUCCEED commercial that she saw on TV. The past two years she has been at
Willard Elementary with two students. She also enjoys volunteering with the Dr. Seuss event at Merle
Hay in March for Dr. Suess’s birthday.
Heman says that she enjoys reading to her student each week. She especially enjoys “the bond she forms
with each of the students she has read with.” This year she reads with a 1st and 3rd grade student.
She attributes her love of reading to her mother since she read to her growing up. She continued this
later in life and read out loud to her children when they were young. She says that because of this, “my
children have a love of reading and learning.” Her favorite thing about reading out loud, “is the
expression that makes it fun. The expression in a person’s voice makes the book come alive. It does my
heart good to know how much the students are benefiting from this program. My students and I always
look forward to the next week to read together.”
Nancy also added that she values the program because she knows that, “reading with a caring mentor
increases the student’s confidence to read. They also develop a stronger vocabulary which will benefit
them in all of their classes.”
Heman ends by saying that “whenever the school year ends I can’t wait for the next one to start to help
new students to enjoy the love of reading.”
Everybody Wins! Thanks Nancy for her commitment to the program.