Unusual Awards for Extraordinary Volunteers - by Ellen Fee, Program & Volunteer Coordinator

It’s no secret that volunteers are critical to our mission here at 826 MSP. They’re the wind in our sails! They keep us afloat! (I could go on.) But for real—with a small staff of five, our more than 75 volunteers make all of our programs possible.

And with all the recent school closures and distance learning requirements, our volunteers have been more flexible and creative than ever. From launching our online After-School Writing Lab program, to providing online essay feedback to our Writers’ Room students, to sending notes of encouragement via video message and snail mail, 826 MSP volunteers have stepped up in so many ways.

April is National Volunteer Month, and to celebrate, 826 MSP is sending some long-distance love to 18 of our amazing volunteers with these totally original—and sometimes very specific—volunteer awards.

In our Writers’ Room program, volunteers provide writing coaching and support to South High School students working on papers, essays, and school projects. In our Young Authors’ Book Project, volunteers mentor students—also from South High School—through the entire process of writing, revising, and professionally publishing a book together.

In our Storytelling & Bookmaking Field Trips program, volunteers help elementary-schoolers become published authors by typing up their ideas, illustrating the covers of their books, or even playing the Grumpy Captain who calls and demands the stories in the first place (only to later be thrilled by the brilliance of our young authors).

In our After-School Writing Lab program, volunteers tutor students on homework, guide them through prompts at the Writers’ Table, and challenge them to rousing games of Bananagrams and Quiddler.  At the end of each semester, students, families, staff, and volunteers gather to celebrate our after-school authors with the release of a chapbook full of their poems and stories.

826 MSP also has some incredible volunteers who go beyond programming to help with event planning, fundraising, and even designing the merchandise that fills our oceanographic shop. Whether it’s working behind the scenes, directly with students, or anywhere in between, volunteers help make it all happen.

To all our volunteers—we thank you, appreciate you, and we miss seeing you every week in our programs! Thanks for keeping in touch and staying committed during our new normal.

For anyone interested in getting involved at 826 MSP as a volunteer, check out the Volunteers page on our website for info about programs, commitments, and how to sign up.