Spread the Word Nevada
Inspiring children, one book at a time.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Kids to Kids
Kids to Kids, our flagship program, reaches out to at-risk children (grades Pre-K to 5th Grade) in low income areas by providing them with new and gently used books to develop their very own “keep at home” library of books to learn from and share with their families. The program objective is to enhance the reading abilities of and instill a deep appreciation for reading during the formative stages of the at-risk student population.
Breakfast with Books
Breakfast with Books helps instill the importance of reading with the children in partnership with their families. Each month, students and their parents, grandparents, guardians, and siblings are invited to share in a light breakfast and story reading at the elementary schools we serve. Every person who attends receives not only breakfast, but a book to keep and a simply outlined literacy expansion activity to take home and implement which reinforces the concepts presented during the program.
Books and Buddies
Books & Buddies is our reading mentorship program which partners our volunteers from Southern Nevada’s senior centers, businesses and communities with the children attending our at-risk elementary schools. Volunteers partner individually with students to focus on further develop the child’s reading proficiency, comprehension and verbal recitation skills. This program provides children with valuable one- on- one tutoring that is not available in the classroom or in the home.
Books on Break
Books on Break is a summer reading program inspiring continued learning to avoid the “summer slide”. STWN partners with community summer sites to provide access to books and encourage reading all year long. All attendees enjoy a modeled storytime and choose a “forever” book. The children are also encouraged to fill out and return a reading log in exchange for a “treasure box” prize.
Where we work
Accreditations
United Way 2015
Awards
Spread The Word Nevda Day, March 4th 2009
City of Las Vegas
Non-Profit of the Year 2008
In Business Magazine
Points of Light Award 2006
Nevada Governor
Outstanding Charity of the Year 2005
Nevada Community Foundation
Affiliations & memberships
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2015
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Spread the Word Nevada is dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy by placing books into the homes of children within Nevada's at-risk, low-income communities. Through community collaboration, mentorship and family partnership programs, Spread the Word Nevada fosters reading and language development opportunities ultimately leading to brighter academic and economic futures for these children.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Spread the Word Nevada “adopts" elementary schools in Nevada where at least 80% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. These are schools where the majority of the families are living at or near the poverty line. Families that are struggling for basic needs cannot afford to purchase books, seldom have home libraries and sadly, for many reasons, have not formed a culture of reading in the households. Upon adoption of the Kids to Kids program, each child in the school receives a book bag and chooses five books to take home and begin building a home library. We know that not owning books is one of the single biggest barriers to not reading proficiently by the third grade.
By helping to create books that “live" at home we assist with fostering a greater love for reading and the tools to practice skills learned in the classroom. Each school adoption includes a monthly family literacy program called Breakfast with Books. This program is a before or after school family engagement event that includes students attending with an adult member/s of the family for a modeled storytime, light breakfast or snack, a chance to win a prize to motivate the students, and literacy activity sheets. Each member of the family attending the program is invited to choose and take home a book. Mentoring through our Books & Buddies program takes place at several on-site school centers designated for volunteers from the community to pair with a struggling reader for 30-45 minutes per week. This program has shown remarkable results in raising reading levels and confidence. Books on Break is a summer program designed to help avoid the “summer slide" during the months that children are not in school. Sites are identified through a partnership with our local food bank to serve children that are gathered at various places during the summer days for meals, essentially feeding both the body and the mind by providing books and storytime.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Spread the Word Nevada has shown remarkable results and growth over the last 20 years. Co-founders, Laurie Hartig and Lisa Habighorst are both former educators and have long understood the need for these services within the school district where they both taught. Clark County School District is the fifth-largest school district in the country yet sadly, ranks nearly last in the nation for education. Poverty is a reality in Nevada and Spread the Word Nevada joins many other nonprofit organizations that are addressing the results of children living in low-income communities.
Our Program Director, Books & Buddies Coordinators, and many support staff are former educators with years of experience in teaching and knowledge of Clark County School District. Spread the Word Nevada has a long and strong partnership with Clark County School District, its Partnership Office, and Superintendent. The programs we offer are eagerly sought and welcomed into 62 schools as of September 2020. Sustaining these schools throughout the years is made possible by the dedicated work of our board of directors and staff, long-time support from foundations, and consistent corporate funders as well as passionate individual donors and volunteers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As new schools are added that are in need of services, Spread the Word Nevada makes it our mission to eventually reach all schools in our community where children can benefit from these valuable literacy programs. Over the last 20 years, we have grown from delivering a few boxes of books to one school from the trunks of our co-founders' cars to now placing over 59,000 books to at-risk children every month during the school year! Lives are changing for students and students are sharing the magic of books with their own families, frequently teaching their parents how to read. We are extremely proud of the broad reach that a single book can have when a child has ownership of a world within the pages of a story.
We were proud to adopt 2 elementary schools in Reno/Sparks out of our new office and warehouse in Northern Nevada. As we steadily grow in our programming we continue to provide excellent services through the training of our staff to meet these needs in the most efficient and impactful way possible.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Spread the Word Nevada
Board of directorsas of 9/16/2020
Mr. Chad Leavitt
Findlay Automotive Group
Jean LaPlaca
Majestic Realty
Adrianne Burke
Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Ryan Draney
Vic Gallo
PlayAGS
Kris Hanson
Collage Tile
Melissa Joseph
PlayAGS
Mary Madden
Las Vegas Valley Water District
Chad Leavitt
Findlay Automotive Group
Carol Cline-Ong
MDL Group
Daniel Philippus
RSM US LLP
Garrett Smith
Toyota Financial Savings Bank
Monte Smith
Brown & Brown Insurance Nevada
Jodi Stephens
Stephens Consulting
Vincent Telles
Bank of Nevada
Agnes Zadlo
Bank of America
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes