This August, leading up to August 26 (aka 8/26 Day and National Youth Literacy Day), we’ll be introducing you to just a few of our most committed and outstanding volunteers. Our volunteer, Ellie Barancik, shares her experiences and stories below. We hope they inspire you to stand up and say: I Want to Help!
Which 826LA program are you involved with?
Field trips, English Language Learner Camp and “Girls Write the World” workshop
What brought you to 826LA and how long have you been volunteering here?
I heard about 826 Brooklyn when I was living in NYC and shortly after I moved to LA I learned there was an 826LA in Echo Park, not far from where I lived. I’ve always loved working with kids and after I learned about the programs, it was really a no-brainer, I had to get involved. In the past two years that I’ve been working at 826LA I’ve made some really great friends and feel very proud of the work we’ve all done and continue to do!
Tell us about one student you’ve met at 826LA.
On the first day of ELL camp last summer, there was a little girl named Cindy who really didn’t want to be there and emphatically answered “no!” to every question I asked. She was a tough cookie, but I saw a sparkle in there and made a point of working with her every time I came into camp. Much to my delight, Cindy pretty quickly started letting her guard down and soon I learned she was an incredible artist and loved to read stories. So, at the beginning of every session we would draw tons of pictures together and we had a ritual of ending every session sitting on the couch together reading Madeline. She loved it so much that by the end of ELL she had the whole thing memorized!
What’s the best part of volunteering at 826LA?
Oh, where to start!?!? There are so many best parts!!! When I am leading a Storytelling and Bookmaking Field Trip, I absolutely love seeing the imaginations of the students run wild. Not a class goes by when I am not amazed and amused by some of the ideas coming from their brains. And the excitement and pride they have when they become published authors at Barnacle and Barnacle Books is joyfully infectious!
And the Storytelling and Bookmaking volunteer teams I work with are so great and talented; from the illustrators making the kid’s characters come to life, to the typists forming the stories, and the voices behind those Barnacles, all make those couple of hours awesome.
Describe what a day of volunteering at 826LA looks/feels like.
What I love about coming into 826LA is that each time is different from the last. When I walk through that door I usually excitedly rub my hands together and ask, “Okay, who do we have today?? 1st graders? 5th graders?”. The unpredictability of working with these kids is exciting, challenging and always fun. I’m not sure who’s more excited to be there, myself or the kids! And sometimes we have classes who have been to 826LA for a field trip before and they’re just as excited as they were the first time they visited, and that’s always lovely.
The sense of community is wonderfully powerful at 826LA as well. All the kids who come to visit, be tutored or just hang out on the couch to read a book, are all from the neighborhood and feel so welcomed and comfortable. Words cannot describe what a special place it is.
Finish this sentence: I want to help because . . .
I know I’ll be bringing joy into these kid’s lives through community and creativity.
Help us get to 150 RSVPs for Volunteering 101s before 8/26 Day! Click here to sign up for a Volunteering 101 orientation (and after you’re done, send the link to a friend!). You’ll soon be on your way to giving our students a strong start to the new school year. For any questions or concerns please email us at our volunteer helpline: iwanttohelp@826la.org.