Profile: 826NYC

Susan Voelker, left, and Susan Meyer, volunteers at 826NYC, show off the fruit of a recent workshop.

If you’re into Brooklyn’s literary scene, you’re likely familiar with 826NYC, a tutoring and writing center for kids tucked behind a secret bookcase in the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. Writer and McSweeny’s founder Dave Eggers founded 826 Valencia in San Francisco in 2002 to provide writing and tutoring for youth, and since then, several other 826 incarnations have bloomed across the country. Volunteer Coordinator and Program Associate Kate Ackerman says that there are over 1,300 volunteers, who do everything from minding the store to drop-in tutoring to teaching workshops.

One of the biggest perks to this volunteer gig is meeting the other volunteers. This Wednesday was a evening in the Knight of Time reading series, where volunteers can meet and hear snippets of each others’ work.

Volunteers Susan Voelker and Susan Meyer came to listen and mingle. “It’s a meeting place for people who are into the same things,” Voelker explained. Many volunteers come from education and publishing backgrounds and want to give back to the community. “I could go home and relax,” Voelker said of her tutoring gig on Sundays, “but you’re always glad you came.”

826NYC programs are wildly popular, with both student and volunteer slots filling up nearly instantly after they’re posted - but there’s always room for more. Ackerman says that they try to accommodate all types of schedules. You can find the volunteer sign-up form here.

One Response to “Profile: 826NYC”

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