826 Seattle, a nonprofit writing center, is opening this fall in the heart of Greenwood just in time for students to get some needed help with their homework.
"Writing is an essential skill to be successful in our world. We want 826 Seattle to be there for all young people. We have a large team of fun, enthusiastic volunteers ready to greet them," said 826 Seattle founder and director Teri Hein.
A focus on writing
826 Seattle is the third outlet to open on the West Coast (after San Francisco and Los Angeles). It's the region's first language-arts center designed specifically for young people. The sixth outlet of a nationwide nonprofit writing and tutoring program, 826 Seattle will open near North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North this month.
The writing and tutoring center offers free instruction for children age 6 to 18. The center plans to offer evening and weekend workshops for high-school students.
Although the center will not be fully functional when it opens, tutoring, mentoring and evening and weekend workshops will be available, and others will be added as funding permits.
With the capacity to serve 30 to 35 students, 826 centers boast workshops, tutoring, mentoring, field trips, publication opportunities and a station for Web and radio broadcasts.
A one-to-one teacher-student ratio will be provided for help with grammar, book reports and essay writing.
"Some people have wonderful ideas but have trouble writing them down. Others have great grammar and punctuation, but have a difficult time knowing what to write. Some are just great writers who can improve. Some need help with SAT prep essay writing or how to fill out a job application," Hein said.
The center also will offer a mentoring program that will match budding young playwrights, poets, novelists and journalists with professionals in their field of interest.
"We feel that by focusing first on high-school students they will be more likely to come than if we opened our doors to all ages at once. With that said, we plan to be available to all ages as soon as possible," Hein explained.
The 'perfect location'
Originally, Hein considered a Columbia City site, but when she evaluated what Greenwood had to offer, the center had a new home at 8414 Greenwood Ave. N.
"I am so happy to be in Greenwood. It seems the perfect location for us - great bus access, a population that can use our help," Hein said.
Dave Eggers opened the original 826 in San Francisco's Mission District in 2002. The landlord had told Eggers that he had to sell something on the premises. So Eggers opened a pirate supply store to front the building.
Other 826 outlets have followed suit: New York has a superhero store, Ann Arbor has a Monster Union Local 826 and Seattle has the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. The stores do sell items and offer opportunities for community members to get involved.
For more information on enrolling, donating or volunteering visit www. 826seattle.org.
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