826LA'S BLOG
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Help 826LA on Big Sunday!
- Posted on 04.09.09
Related causes: Arts, Community
Looking for a way to help out in your community? Do you love what 826LA does but have more experience in home improvement than mentoring aspiring writers?
Liven your spirits, help out the Venice community, and hone in on your interior design skills that you've picked up as you've secretly watched HGTV.
826LA's west center is participating in Big Sunday on May 3. In case you haven't been too savvy to the latest in community events, it is the "largest regional community service event in America," offering hundreds of volunteer opportunities to good people like yourselves.
Sign up to remodel and repaint our Venice writing lab, where future leaders and best-selling novelists are tutored and stimulated through innovative, creative workshops. Walking into a well-decorated, newly painted writing lab will only stimulate their brains more!
Not too confident about your home improvement skills? No problem. We are also looking for: gift cards to office supply stores, construction pa...Read More -
When I say, "826LA," you say, "Rocks!"
- Posted on 02.10.09
Saturdays in December are just crazy! In a good way. This last Saturday was the Echo Park Holiday Parade, and 826LA East's first presence in this exciting community event proved to be pretty darn snappy. The day before, volunteers Alissa, Stefan, Nikki, and Eve helped decorate the writing lab and make the most far-out parade hats (consisting of various combinations of newspaper, wrapping paper, gift bows, curled ribbon, stickers, and shiny ornament balls) ever. On the day of the parade, eight students (Paulina, Ambar, Bryan, Jackson, Vince, Alanis, Alex, and Bianca)—donning those very hats as well as green Future Adult T-shirts from the Time Travel Mart—marched down Sunset Blvd. with holiday hat- and festive sweater-wearing staff, interns, and volunteers. We had hats! We had signs showcasing our Time Travel posters and student writing! We had holiday spirit! Jackson led us in some enthusiastic cheers. "When I say, '826,' you say, 'LA!'" "When I say, 'Reading,' you say, 'Writing!'"
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She already has a more illustrious literary career than most of us
- Posted on 02.10.09
Being featured on the McSweeney's front page is a rare distinction, and in this regard, 826LA drop-in student Stephanie Gonzalez has already surpassed most, if not all, of her tutors. Her letter to president-elect Obama was posted last week along with those of two other students, one from 826 Seattle, and one from 826 Chicago.
It doesn't end there. Her letter, along with several others to Obama written by students at 826 chapters across the country, will be published by McSweeney's and 826 National on January 20, inauguration day, in Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country. We'd like to congratulate Stephanie, her fellow students in Echo Park and Venice, and all the young letter-writers in the book. We're so very proud of all of you.
