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Tenderloin Youth Have Stories to Tell—It’s Time to Listen Bita Nazarian, Executive Director at 826 Valencia Theresa Flynn Houghton, CEO and President at…

We are delighted to announce our May 2024 Teacher of the Month! Eleanor Scott a.k.a. Ms. Elle is a twelfth-grade English Language…

We are delighted to announce our March 2024 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Heather Wallace is a twelfth grade English teacher at…

Share a favorite moment or experience from your time volunteering with 826 Valencia. I love supporting the 826 Valencia staff! They are…

Julie Zigoris of The San Francisco Standard wrote this article on our recent award from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call! “The staff of literary nonprofit…

March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced 826 Valencia as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s…

826 Valencia is pleased to offer multiple $20,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in SFUSD! To be eligible, students must:…

We are delighted to announce our February 2024 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Felice Ordaz is an eighth-grade English Language Arts, Social…

We are delighted to announce that Hilary Power is our January Volunteer of the Month! Hilary has been tutoring at our GLIDE After School Workshop since…

We are delighted to announce our January 2024 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Ame Szasz is a 3rd grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary…

  We are delighted to announce that Regina Ramirez (or, better known as Naji) is our January Volunteer of the Month! Naji is a SFSU…

Grant Prospecting Volunteer 2023-24 Scope of Work  Location: Remote  Commitment: 2 to 5 hours per week   To Apply:…

We are excited to honor the three amazing teachers, Mr. Towles, Mr. Jefferey, and Ms. Nichols from Downtown Continuation High School as our…

We are excited to be honored that Ms. Aimee Riechel, a 9th-grade teacher at Mission High School, has been selected as our…

We are delighted to announce our October 2023 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Anna Pepito is a 1st and 2nd grade teacher…

826 Valencia’s Volunteer Associate Board (VAB) is a group of early to mid-career professionals interested in making a difference in their community.

We are delighted to announce our September 2023 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Ellie Donovan is a sixth grade social studies teacher at Presidio…

Our summer programs are well under way – so allow us to introduce our interns who are making so much of what we do…

Bob McKinnon of Fast Company wrote this article on how the work that we do in and around San Francisco empowers and educates students,…

KPIX visited us at our Mission Center, where anchor Lezla Gooden got to spend the afternoon with one of our spectacular students, Shamira, and one…

We are delighted to announce Ryan Hightower and Nicole Medrano as our May 2023 Teachers of the Month! Mr. Hightower and Ms. Medrano…

We are delighted to announce Denise Kleckner as our March 2023 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Kleckner is a 3rd grade Spanish Immersion…

Our summer 2023 workshop is now full! Each summer, we host the Young Authors’ Workshop (YAW), a three-week writing camp open to rising…

826 Valencia is pleased to offer multiple $20,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in SFUSD! To be eligible, students must:…

We are delighted to announce Vivian Tiet as our February 2023 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Tiet is a 3rd grade teacher at…

The Good Morning America program “The Book Case” featured the 826 Network on the air! Check out the video to hear from students and leadership…

CBS Saturday Morning visited us and some other 826 Chapters at the end of 2022. Anchor Jeff Glor interviewed our co-founders, Executive Director, Alum/Board Member,…

We are delighted to announce David Johnson as our January 2023 Teacher of the Month! Mr. Johnson is a 6th grade English and…

In addition to our crew of volunteers who support our students in programs day in and day out, we also turn to volunteers…

Reporter Reed Cowan from CBS Bay Area followed Black Literary Achievement Club student Quran on her journey to our Tenderloin Center. Reed also spoke with…

We are delighted to announce Annie Bartkowski as our December 2022 Teacher of the Month! Ms. Bartkowski is a 6th, 7th, and 8th…

Wow, this semester just flew by, and we couldn’t have made it without our stellar volunteers. This month, we’re celebrating one…

We are delighted to announce Grace Lum as our November Teacher of the Month! Ms. Lum is a 9th and 12th grade teacher…

We are a group of former 826 Valencia students who have kept close ties with the organization through the years, and are now young professionals…

The San Francisco Standard spoke with our Executive Director, co-founders, students, volunteers, and an alum for this story on our 20th Anniversary. Watch the video…

We are delighted to announce Amy Berry as our October Teacher of the Month! Ms. Berry is a third grade teacher at Tenderloin…

We at 826 Valencia are always looking for ways to celebrate those who make a difference in young peoples’ lives every day. Enter…

September came and went in a flash, but not before we could pause to thank our Volunteer of the Month (VOTM)! Our VOTM…

We are delighted to announce Jenny Huang as our September Teacher of the Month! Ms. Huang is a fourth grade teacher at McKinley…

KQED Forum interviewed the 826 Valencia leadership team and played a number of student podcasts on the air. Find the piece here.  …

By Matt Werner I first heard of 826 Valencia when Dave Eggers moved back to San Francisco in 2001.

826 Valencia students are more than familiar with all things pirates, fish, hidden treasures, and the deep blue sea. Back in May, in…

Our leadership team sat down with Priya David Clemens to discuss the state of literacy in California and our 20th Anniversary.

While we’re currently in a summer state of mind as our Summer Camps are in full swing, the 2022-2023 school year is just…

As the academic year comes to a close, students are celebrating graduation and various milestones in their educational journeys. Congrats to all students…

This month, we are delighted to celebrate our Teacher of the Month, Ms. Chalida Anusasananan (Ms. A) of Everett Middle School. Ms. A…

During our 20-year history, 826 Valencia has counted on thousands of dedicated volunteers to support more than tens of thousands of students.

The San Francisco Standard spoke to 826 Valencia Programs Manager Precediha Dangerfield for a recent story on the challenges mothers face while raising children in…

There’s no better way to welcome spring than to recognize educators that have helped us blossom. That’s why we’re excited to introduce…

A reporter from ABC7 news recently spent some time with the Bidjima family, father Jacques, daughter Charlee, and son B.J., to learn about their experiences…

Last month, we wrapped up this year’s Young Authors’ Book Project at June Jordan School for Equity, where…

Love is in the air and here at 826 Valencia, we LOVE to celebrate and appreciate our teachers. In this post, we’re celebrating…

As we celebrate 826 Valencia’s 20th Anniversary this year, we’re especially appreciative of the volunteers who have been with us for a long…

It’s the start of the new year and we are ready to celebrate another teacher. This month, we’re excited to honor Ms. Kiani…

Dear 826 Valencia Community, Happy New Year! 2021 was a year of resilience for our team, volunteers, teacher partners, students, and…

It’s December and during this holiday season, we are reflecting on the accomplishments of this year. We don’t want this year to end…

‘Tis the season for giving thanks, and we are ever so thankful for all our volunteers who share their time and energy with…

We are thrilled to announce the 2022 Young Authors’ Book Project (YABP). The YABP is one of our most in-depth tutoring …

The Fall season is in full swing, and it is a time for thanks, celebration, and joy. In this spirit, we are overjoyed…

We are delighted to announce Trisha Huynh as our October Teacher of the Month! Ms. Huynh is a fourth grade teacher and an…

We’re delighted to announce Debra Netkin as our September Teacher of the Month! Mz. Debra is a first grade…

Dear Community, It is with great pride that I share with you that, after a year and a half of distance…

We’re thrilled to welcome new 826 staff members as we reopen our spaces and return to serving students in person. This new group brings talent,…

Dear Volunteers,  We are so excited to welcome you back to our Centers! We want to ensure that all volunteers are…

At 826 Valencia, we are grieving the horrific murders in Atlanta and the anti-Asian racism and violence that has increased across the country and here…

826 Valencia has always held an appreciation for teachers at its core. Since 2008, we have invited colleagues, students, and parents of students in the…

This unprecedented, historic, generation-defining year continues. As of this update, we’ve been essentially sheltering-in-place for 9 months—more than…

Para Español, haga cliq aquí. Dear community, At 826 Valencia, our work is to amplify our students’ voices. But…

“One sunny day there lived a traveler, and her name was Sasha. Now, Sasha was a normal fifteen-year-old. But when she…

I am a rushing river, adapting to change. I can go with the flow, getting…

Dear 826 Valencia community, The San Francisco Unified School District made the decision yesterday to close all schools for three weeks beginning Monday,…

We are delighted to announce Lenore Kenny as our March Teacher of the Month! Ms. Kenny is an educator who has acted as…

Dear valued volunteers, The health and safety of our 826 Valencia community is very important to us, and as such we are…

Former executive director of 826michigan, Amanda Uhle, wrote about the need for students to have wonderful and weird spaces in Newsweek.

As we start a new year, it’s important to look back on some of the things that made the last one so successful. One of…

Before we turn the page on 2019 and close out a great year of programming, events, and community fun, there are a few things left…

Our November Volunteer of the Month Debra Asher has been involved in our After-School Program at BVHM for three years, and we are so grateful…

November is a month filled with gratitude, and while we’ve got plenty of folks to thank during this time, there are some who deserve a…

“Hooray! Igor is the best!” That’s what our staff has to say about our October Volunteer of the Month, Igor Belogolovsky, who’s been an indispensable…

We’re thrilled to announce Tadd Scott as our October Teacher of the Month! An English teacher — and 826 teacher-partner — from Mission High School…

We’re delighted to announce Tasha Pasternack as our September Teacher of the Month! Tasha is an English teacher at Balboa High School, where she’s recognized…

As we continue to increase the number of students we serve and places we serve them, we’ve also grown the size of our team! Over…

Our volunteers are like lighthouses in the wave-filled ocean of life. We’ve been especially thankful for Amy Sheth, our September volunteer of the month, as…

Our summer has finally come to a close (sigh), and it simply wouldn’t be in the pirate spirit to not acknowledge our summer volunteers. Volunteer…

Our volunteers come from far and wide to support our programs— some from the magical woods, others from the high seas, and in the case…

Our work requires a big community. In addition to volunteer tutors, we need deck-swabbers, fish-bowl-cleaners, and gnome-home-painters. Another important type of volunteer? Designers!…

We’re happy to wrap up the school year by announcing our April and May Teachers of the Month, Ms. Jennifer Stangland and Ms.

We recently welcomed a new amazing intern cohort for the spring. Keep reading to get to know the fabulous crew powering our programs.