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Annual Report 8 2 6 ! ATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT j u l y 1 , 2010 june 30, 2011 DEAR FRIENDS, HISTORY & OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS Thank you for your interest in 826 National, a network since its founding in 2002 by award-winning author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, 826 has sparked students’ imaginations with inventive writing and publishing projects. of nonprofit organizations that aims to strengthen young Our programs, all of which are project-based, are steeped in the simple idea that celebrating creativity is key to engaging and assisting youth. As public schools continue to cut back or people’s creative and expository writing skills, and to inspire eliminate arts programs and educators seek new ways to inspire students’ interests in a wide range of subjects, our programs help meet a growing need. our next generation to be imaginative thinkers and creative After-School Tutoring. At least four days a week during the academic year, 826 centers welcome problem solvers. students for three hours after school. During this time, trained 826 volunteers work with the students one-on-one, assisting them with their homework. After the students’ homework is complete, they are encouraged to read a book from the center’s library or of their own for at least last year, our network’s 6,000 dedicated volunteers assisted more students than ever before: thirty minutes. The final hour is dedicated to writing. Volunteers assist students as they write in 29,060 young people, age 6-18, participated in our after-school tutoring, in-schools programs, response to a new prompt, or a previous assignment. 826 staff regularly compile the students’ workshops, and book projects. after-school writing for publication, and these collections are distributed to the students and their families. Last year, close to 3,000 students took advantage of this program. The vast majority of these students would never have had an opportunity to participate in such innovative programs. Due to budget cuts, public schools have been forced to reduce or eliminate Field Trips. Several times a week, 826 centers welcome entire classes for a two-hour interactive, anything resembling arts education. And, living in under-resourced communities, as many of our high-energy writing event, such as our signature Storytelling & Bookmaking program. During students do, there is often little or no access to libraries or educational afterschool programming. the program, students write their own books, which are then illustrated and bound, all while the students are present. Last year our centers conducted 646 field trips for 336 schools serving more Over the next few years, with your support, we hope to serve exponentially more students. We than 15,000 students. took a step toward that last year, by opening a new chapter in our nation’s capital. 826DC, in the city’s Columbia Heights neighborhood, and its Museum of Unnatural History, have already made In-Schools Projects. It is not feasible for all students to come to us, so on a regular basis we dispatch a mark. The chapter co-sponsored a poetry writing workshop with the Library of Congress, which teams of volunteers into under-resourced local public schools. At a teacher’s request, we will send was visited by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. volunteers into a classroom to provide one-on-one assistance to students as they tackle writing projects such as working on articles for the school newspaper, oral histories, or college entrance And, notably, after a nationwide search, we hired a new Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Richards, essays. Last year, we conducted 220 writing projects in 86 schools, serving over 8,000 students. to lead the organization into its second decade. Gerald’s arrival marks the departure of our found- ing CEO Nínive Calegari. The entire 826 family thanks Nínive for her visionary leadership over One of our most popular in-schools projects is our annual Young Authors’ Book Project. Working the organization’s first eight years. Nínive established 826’s educational programs, and oversaw closely with teachers, we match a well-known guest author and volunteer adult writers and editors the organization’s growth from our first chapter in San Francisco, to seven other cities across the with students at a school for a semester. The volunteers work closely with students as they write country. She has made an indelible mark on 826, and we will forever be grateful for her work. and edit pieces that are collected and professionally published. When the book is finished, the guest author, who has written the book’s introduction, hosts a public reading with the newly As we eye our 10th anniversary, we look forward to having you be a part of 826 and our efforts to published authors. Because of the caliber of the guest authors (Sherman Alexie, Isabel Allende, serve more students. Khaled Hosseini, and Amy Tan, to name a few) and the quality of the publications, the books are an enormous source of pride for the students. The students then get to see the result of their hard Sincerely, tynnetta mcintosh work in bookstores nationwide, and on their family bookshelves. President of the Board 826 National Our focus on creativity also extends to the whimsically themed storefronts that are the gateway to our centers. From the Time Travel Mart to the Superhero Supply Company, to the Museum of Unnatural History, our stores help us attract volunteers, promote our services to families in the community, and generate revenue to support our programs. 2 826 n ation al / A NNUAL R E P O R T 3 826 Michigan 826 Seattle Opened: June 2005 Opened: October 2005 826 CHAPTERS & Serves: Ann Arbor Public School District, Ypsilanti Public Serves: Seattle Public School District and School District, Willow Run Community School District, Shoreline Public School District STOREFRONTS Lincoln Consolidated School District, Wayne-Westland Neighborhood: Greenwood Community School District, Detroit Public School District Storefront: Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. Neighborhood: Ann Arbor Executive Director: Teri Hein 826 Boston 826DC Storefront: Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair www.826seattle.org Opened: September 2007 Opened: October 2010 Executive Director: Amanda Uhle Serves: Boston Public School District and greater Serves: DC Public Schools www.826michigan.org Boston area school districts Neighborhood: Columbia Heights Neighborhood: Egleston Square, Roxbury Storefront: The Museum of Unnatural History Storefront: The Greater Boston Bigfoot Executive Director: Joe Callahan Research Institute www.826dc.org Executive Director: Daniel Johnson www.826boston.org 826 Valencia 826NYC Opened: April 2002 Opened: June 2004 Serves: San Francisco Unified School District Serves: New York City Public Schools and Oakland School District Neighborhoods: Park Slope and Williamsburg Neighborhood: The Mission District Storefront: The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. Storefront: The Pirate Supply Store Satellite: Tutoring center at the Williamsburg branch Satellites: Writers’ Rooms at Everett Middle of the Brooklyn Public Library School and James Lick Middle School 826CHI Executive Director: Scott Seeley Executive Director: Leigh Lehman Opened: December 2005 www.826nyc.org www.826valencia.org Serves: Chicago Public School District 826LA Neighborhood: Wicker Park Opened: March 2005 Storefront: The Boring Store Serves: Los Angeles Unified School District Executive Director: Mara Fuller O’Brien Neighborhoods: Venice Beach and Echo Park www.826chi.org Storefront: The Echo Park Time Travel Mart Executive Director: Joel Arquillos www.826la.org 4 826 national / ANNUAL REPORT 5 OUR NEWEST CHAPTER: 826DC 826dc opened as the newest member of the 826 family on October 23, 2010. The center is based in the neighborhood of Columbia Heights, which has a diverse mix of African-American and Latin-American communities. The neighborhood is also home to about 17 public and public charter schools, 2010-2011 HIGHLIGHTS putting 826DC at the center of a dense student population. The center’s storefront, The Museum of Unnatural History, showcases rare and surreal artifacts– including Confused Wood (from the makers of Petrified Wood) and Last year was a momentous one for 826 National. We owlephants– from times long past. It also features a life-size cave. underwent a comprehensive search for a new Chief Executive Joe Callahan was hired as 826DC’s Executive Director. In the months leading up to the opening, he spent countless hours preparing the center and storefront Officer to replace our founding CEO. We also strengthened for the hundreds of students who would be attending the center’s programs. Before coming to 826, Joe taught writing at American University and George our evaluation efforts, worked with an organizational Washington University. He also worked as the Corporate and Foundation development consultant on capacity building, added a new Relations Officer at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. chapter, and enjoyed the publication of several new books of student writing. 826 GOES TO WASHINGTON in august 2010, 826 national announced Gerald Richards as its new Chief Executive Officer. Gerald’s background as an educator-advocate thanks to the work of our newest chapter, in May 2011, thirteen and seasoned fundraiser, with over twelve years of experience providing 826DC and two 826CHI students attended a poetry workshop and reading at opportunities for youth through education, is an exciting addition to the 826 the White House hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle organization. Most recently, Gerald worked as the Executive Director of the Obama. The students were also joined by poets and songwriters Elizabeth Bay Area Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, where he led the regional Alexander, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, and team in doubling the number of students served by their seventeen school Aimee Mann. 826DC student Tiesha Hines introduced Mrs. Obama and read sites. Prior to his work in the Bay Area, Gerald worked in Chicago with the an original poem.
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