826 National

History

The flagship chapter of 826, 826 Valencia, opened in 2002, at 826 Valencia St. in the Mission District of San Francisco. The original address inspired the name 826 National. It was co-founded by educator Nínive Clements Calegari and author Dave Eggers, who also founded the independent publishing house McSweeney's.

In April 2010, Dave Eggers founded ScholarMatch, a nonprofit organization that aims to make higher education possible for underserved youth. ScholarMatch posts profiles of students on their crowdfunding website in order to foster connections with donors and scholarship opportunities, interested in sponsoring that "scholar" in his/her pursuit of higher education. ScholarMatch also offers other resources in order to support the financial undertaking of pursuing a college education.

Following the success and impact of 826 Valencia in its first two years, 826NYC opened its doors in 2004. In 2005, 826Michigan, 826LA, and 826CHI were established, respectively. In 2007, 826 Boston joined the growing network, followed by 826DC, which opened in 2010.{{cite news

In 2008, a national office was established to support the chapters and act as a central hub of the 826 network. 826 National is an independent nonprofit organization that provides strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of its writing and tutoring centers.

In addition, there are fifty 826-inspired organizations across the globe. 826 Digital supports educators through its new online pay-what- you-wish platform designed to help teach and ignite a love of writing.

826 National is the hub of the 826 Network: facilitating collaboration and alignment among our chapters, and bringing the 826 Network model and approach to new communities.

Store themes

Each 826 National store has an unusually-themed retail outlet. These include:

The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas, formerly called 826 Seattle, operates the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company.

Volunteer network

826 National programs are supported by over 6,000 active volunteers of various professions, ages, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Volunteers are trained by staff members for various areas of 826 programs: After-school tutoring, the Young Authors Book Project, field trips, in-school programs, and writing workshops. Volunteers can also help in administrative jobs, such as website maintenance and graphic design.

References

References

1. "Creative Writing Centers Help Students Become Published Authors". U.S. News & World Report.
2. (22 November 2011). "Writing Program Supplements US Public Education". Voice of America.
3. Pang, Kevin. (19 April 2007). "How to be a spy". Chicago Tribune.
4. "Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.".
5. (n.d.). "826LA".
6. "826 Valencia".
7. "Onward Robots, Online Store for 826michigan".
8. "826 New Orleans".
9. "About Fearless Ideas {{!}} The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas {{!}} A nonprofit writing and communications center".
10. Constant, Paul. (November 5, 2014). "826 Seattle Changes Its Name to the Bureau of Fearless Ideas".
11. "826 National: Volunteers". 826national.org.