Connie Kelehan may have lost count of the number of students she’s mentored, but her 15 years of volunteering with Everybody Wins! Iowa have been noted, and she recently received a Governor’s Volunteer Award in recognition of her service with the organization. Connie says one of her favorite things about EWI is the ease of volunteering and the reprieve it provides from her normal day. “It really changes your perspective,” she says, “and you really do feel like you make an impact. Having an adult who cares enough to show up every week, you can’t underestimate how much of an impact that makes.”
Connie says an added benefit of mentoring is that it allows her to “stay in tune” with the local schools. A former EWI board member (2012-2018), Connie currently reads at Walnut Street School with Charles this summer and at Edmunds during the school year.