Like everyone in the country, 826 National is stunned by the destruction and displacement caused by Hurricane Katrina, and we want to help. We know that providing basic needs and medical supplies is the first priority of the Red Cross. We would like to complement the ongoing relief services by offering displaced children a meaningful distraction and a safe environment to write and share. In order to lend our help and support, we are making arrangements to send a cadre of 826 staff and volunteers to Houston next week to work with the young Americans waiting in churches and at the Astrodome.

We hope to establish stations where young people can come and learn how to craft their own books and journals in creative and gorgeous ways, draw cartoons, and write poems. We will also take hundreds of coloring books and crayons to offer as a positive distraction. We understand that this volunteer work will only be a tiny portion of what will need to happen in order for these young people to feel safe and complete again, but we still would like to participate in giving them some of the attention they deserve right now.

Assuming that we are able to raise the necessary funds, our team will leave for Houston on Monday, September 12th. We hope to work with people in Houston during this time of crisis, and leave our teaching tips and tools behind as communities rebuild.

If you are interested in donating funds or sponsoring the trip of one of our volunteers, please visit www.826valencia.org/helpout/donate. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click “I want to choose my own amount.” In the “Payment For” field please type “Responding to Hurricane Katrina.” Fill in the amount of your choosing and proceed as prompted.

You are also welcome to send a check instead. You should make it out to 826 Valencia, write "Katrina" in the memo line, and mail it to:

826 Valencia Katrina Effort
826 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Thank you for your help!