826 National is a family of eight nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing.
Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
Each chapter offers drop-in tutoring, field trips, workshops, and in-schools programs — all free of charge — for children, classes, and schools with particular interests or particular needs.
826 is especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English language learners, and publishing student work. All locations offer unique retail experiences as well.
826 National
826 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-642-5905 x 204
415-642-5914 fax Email us
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Love is in the air, and although we're enjoying it too, we couldn't forget that many of you out there are still searching for great Valentine's Day gifts.
For a limited time check out our fantastic deals on t-shirts, books, tote bags and more in the 826 National Store, will all proceeds benefiting 826 programming for students across the country.
Congratulations to some brilliant and bold 826 students across the country. Their work is showcased on the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Student Writing Gallery for the entire 2009-2010 school year. Pieces were submitted by kids from points all over the map. Over 150 works were accepted into the high profile gallery, which you can browse here.
826 National would like to thank Powis and BindRite for their sponsorship of book binding strips for all eight of our 826 chapters in 2010.
Donated binding strips are used by 826 chapters to hold together student-authored publications of all kinds. By combining forces in this donation, the generosity of these companies translates to 28,000 students nationwide who will walk away from an 826 workshop or field trip with a professionally bound publication!
The students of 826 Valencia, with the help of volunteer tutor Bryan Welch, present the soon-to-be classic stop-animation film "Los Perdidos." "Perdidos" was created and filmed in November and December of 2009 in the Writer's Lab at 826 Valencia.
Will you be spending this winter or spring in the Bay Area? Do you have a passion for the arts and education? If so, 826 National needs you!
We are currently looking for talented, driven, and resourceful interns to assist with the day- to-day operations of a unique literary non-profit. As a National intern you will volunteer at least 20 hours a week to fundraising, education, and administrative projects. If you’re interested in starting your own nonprofit, want event planning and development experience, then this is the job for you.
826 National shares a space with the 826 Valencia site in San Francisco and will allow you to be in the middle of a bustling and inspiring workplace. Please visit here for additional information or to fill out an intern application.
Have you ever wanted to know what it takes to develop a literacy nonprofit? Are you dying to get a behind-the-scenes look at a unique and successful business model?
We are thrilled to announce that registration is open for our full-day nonprofit business and programming seminar featuring 826 National co-founder Nínive Calegari. Teachers, tutors, nonprofit visionaries, and supporters of 826 National gather from around the globe to take part in this workshop to learn about what we do and bring fresh ideas back home.
This all day seminar will provide an in-depth look into the nuts and bolts of 826. Attendees will gain insight into organization operations, fundraising and development, volunteer recruitment and retention, 826 programming, our storefront business model, and much more. Come join us on Friday, February 26, 2010 from 9am-5pm at our founding location, 826 Valencia in San Francisco. $300 will get you breakfast, lunch, and informational take-home materials. Visit here to sign up today!
Take a look at the feedback we’ve received from workshop attendees in the past:
“It was tremendously empowering and eye-opening. I appreciated the great energy and candor of the presenters. The information shared was excellent… and often surprising.” — Amy Rogers, Charlotte, NC
“I can’t wait to go back to my school and community and talk to people, do research, [and] plant seeds to get something like this started.” — Jennifer Hekkers, Denver, CO
“Thank you! This will be extremely helpful to our young writing and tutoring center as we begin to offer more regular service. I probably got twenty good answers to small problems that I’ve faced over the past few months. It is invaluable to learn from the people who have made this model work from scratch.” — Mike Agresta, Austin, TX
Toast to the New Year with VinoFina
If you're considering purchasing wine or bubbly for your next holiday gathering, VinoFina allows its customers the choice to give a percentage of their purchases back to 826 National. The generosity of our supportive friends at VinoFina could be a part of your next soiree!
826 National’s featured wine with VinoFina for the holiday season is the Hunterdon 2007 Pinot Noir with bottles retailing at $16 and a discount on cases.
Do you need more significance?
Significant Objects, v.2 has chosen 826 National as their benefit charity for their latest artist-curated auction. There are 37 generous artists participating in this online effort. You can learn more about their project from a recent NPR interview here, and you can learn more about their auction here. Thank you to Significant Objects for choosing 826.
First came San Francisco. Then New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Seattle, Chicago, and Boston. And now: Washington, DC.
826 National, a family of nonprofits that mobilizes volunteers to work with students ages six to eighteen on their writing skills, announces its newest chapter—826DC.
826 National, co-founded by award-winning author Dave Eggers and award-winning educator Nínive Calegari, supports current and forthcoming 826 chapters, helping them to duplicate the success of the original 826 Valencia program.
DC’s Capitol Letters Writing Center, which was started in 2008 and previously shared a collegial exchange of ideas and inspiration with 826 National, will now become a formal 826 chapter. This will further enable the project to continue its mission of supporting the teachers, students, and families of Washington, DC.
With volunteer support, 826DC will offer 826 National’s model of after-school tutoring, class field trips, writing workshops, and in-schools programs—all free of charge. All of 826 National’s chapters are especially committed to supporting teachers, publishing student work, and offering services for English language learners.
Want to lend your voice to help a student find his or her own? Join 826DC and 826 National! For more information about 826 National and 826DC’s new partnership, visit www.826dc.org. For complete press information, visit our 826DC press release page.
We know you’re working hard to think of a brilliant holiday gift for that certain someone. Or, because you're working so hard, you've realized that a little treat for yourself could be in order. Either way, we can help. How about beating the rush and taking care of that awesome present now with our “Five Books, Five Authors” subscription? It’s a book club membership with an extraordinary twist. From January to May of 2010, we'll send out a brand new book from authors like Ira Glass and Michael Chabon. Not only will your recipient be stocked up on good reads, but each book will come autographed by the author! Get more information and see the full lineup of books here.
Take a sneak peak inside 826 Valencia’s 2008-2009 Young Authors’ Book Project, documented by San Francisco filmmaker Ira Chute. The film discusses the history and development of the Young Authors' Book Project and features Ms. Pirette McKamey’s Senior English class at Mission High School in San Francisco. The book these students produced, Show of Hands: Young Authors Reflect on the Golden Rule, is available for purchase from 826 Valencia's Pirate Store.
826LA Executive Director Joel Arquillos was recently featured on The Huffington Post, discussing the work of 826 and our model of individualized and consistent attention for the students we serve. In an except from the piece, Joel wrote:
In the end, what really helps the young people we serve is one-on-one attention. Students don't get enough of this in their regular school day in classrooms that might see a forty-students-to-one-teacher ratio. If we're going to level the playing field for students attending public schools, it's essential we recruit more committed volunteers to fill the gaps in the schooling of at-risk youth. As one of our veteran volunteers, J. Ryan Stradal, puts it, "As an 826LA volunteer, with whatever age group I'm working with, I like to think, 'What would I want to learn at that age, and how would I want to learn it?' 826LA is my own second chance at the learning experience I was hungry for."
You can read Joel's full article here. 826LA was also recently featured on ABC 7 in Los Angeles:
THANK YOU for making our telethon a smashing success! We had over 30 dedicated telethoners calling out to supporters across the country, a private concert from the wonderful Thao Nguyen, and prizes for ultra-callers from McSweeney's, Thirsty Bear Brewery, PACT, and Ben & Jerry's. It was truly an amazing evening and we couldn't have done it without all of you!
Right now we have six absolutely fabulous ways for you to show your love and support for 826 National! Available for purchase online and at all Urban Outfitters locations, the brand new two-disc compilation cd Give. Listen. Help. Vol. 6 benefits 826 National and features exclusive tunes from Sonic Youth, MGMT, Dinosaur Jr., N.A.S.A and many more. And while you’re at a local Urban Outfitters or on their website, you can also pick up a Where The Wild Things Are plush keychain, with $2 from each sale coming our way.
In need of some new duds instead? No problem. Head on over to PACT to pick up a pair of custom-designed, 95% organic cotton underwear. PACT will donating 20% of all sales of these stylin’ undergarments to 826 National. Or check out our latest t-shirt benefiting 826 on Social Designer, "The Zebra Who Ran Away From His Stripes.” And after you order, why not wear both your t-shirt and your underoos to a preveiw showing of Where The Wild Things Are in your closest 826 city? The special benefit screenings start next week with tickets available here.
Last but not least, don’t forget that 826 National’s Cyber Radio-Kinetic Telethon party will be in San Francisco on October 6th at 7PM. Join us for pizza, beer, music from local legend Thao Nguyen, and phone calls going out across the country to raise money for 826. Be sure to RSVP by emailing lauren [at] 826national.org to take part in this fun-filled, feel-good evening. Even if you live outside the Bay Area, we can still use your help to reach our goal of raising $30,000! Make a donation of any size to the Cyber Radio-Kinetic Telethon homepage today.
We are very excited to announce that 826 will be hosting seven advanced benefit screenings of Warner Bros. Pictures' highly anticipated release Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze and co-written by Dave Eggers.
Each of the screenings will benefit a different 826 chapter and feature a special preview screening of the film and a Q&A with Wild Things talent. If you live in a city with an 826 center, make sure you don't miss this one-of-a-kind event. We hope to see you there!
Thank you to our national sponsors: Warner Bros. Pictures, Filter Magazine, Urban Outfitters, GOOD Magazine, Harper Collins, Random House Mondadori, and McSweeney's.
Dave Eggers will be at Books, Inc. in the Opera Plaza on Tuesday, July 28th. In celebration of his new book, Zeitoun, Dave will be signing copies and donating a percentage of every book purchased at this event to 826 Valencia. Zeitoun follows the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American contractor living in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It explores his relationship with his wife, Kathy, who converted to Islam, his efforts traveling the streets in a canoe providing help and supplies to neighbors, and his sudden disappearance on September 6, 2005. Books, Inc is located at 601 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, CA. The event starts at noon, see you there!
TUTORING
826 sites are packed five days a week with students who come in for free one-on-one tutoring after school. More »
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STUDENT PUBLISHING
Each year we partner with an acclaimed author to work closely with a teacher and students from a low-income school to create an unique and professionally-made book.
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FIELD TRIPS
Up to four times a week at many of our sites, 826 welcomes an entire class for a morning of high-energy learning.
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IN-SCHOOLS
It is not feasible for all classes to come to us, so we dispatch teams of volunteers into local schools.
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WORKSHOPS
826 offers free workshops that provide in-depth writing instruction in a variety of areas that schools often don’t include in their curriculum. More »
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SCHOLARSHIPS
We award three $10,000 scholarships each spring for students entering college the upcoming fall. More »
