Celebrating 20 Years of 826 Valencia: Write the Future with Us!

Dear 826 Valencia Community,

Happy New Year! 2021 was a year of resilience for our team, volunteers, teacher partners, students, and their families. Facing the challenge of re-entering our spaces, schools, and communities was daunting after over a year of virtual schooling and limited social connection and disproportionate health, financial, and educational impacts on the students we serve. In August, after significant planning and consultation of health guidelines, we welcomed our students back in person, and the effect was immediate. Our Centers were filled with laughter, joy, creativity, and community. 

As we write the future of 826 Valencia, we are thrilled to announce that we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year! In 2002, Nínive Calegari and Dave Eggers founded our organization and began teaching writing workshops in the Pirate Supply Store. Since then, we have grown from a single Writing Center to three Writing Centers with ten partner schools across San Francisco, and have inspired dozens of organizations worldwide. Throughout 2022, we will celebrate this milestone with community events, partnerships, and a block party in August–our largest event ever! Keep up with us and join us for these celebrations all year long.

Thank you for being a part of this work and helping us get to 20 years. We invite you to Write the Future with Us and help us uplift these essential young voices for decades to come.

In Community,

Bita Nazarian