Friends and family of 826 Valencia, meet Marisa Gedney!

After collaborating with 826 on several in-schools projects, she officially joins the staff as programs assistant. In this position, Marisa will facilitate projects at many area schools by communicating with teachers and volunteers, and designing programs, for 826 writers rooms and publications.

Marisa first became involved with 826 Valencia this past year in the Writers Room at Everett Middle School. For the 2006-2007 school year, she was an Americorps volunteer at the Mission Beacon Center at Everett. Like other Beacon Centers around the city, the Mission Beacon is a community center that offers after-school programming not only for Everett students but also for elementary and high school students in the area. Because her hours at Beacon were mostly after school, and because she loved writing (yay!), Marisa began to go to the Writers Room during the day to work with students on projects like the Straight-Up News. Soon, 826 could not get enough of her, and she was helping with projects at Everett, at 826, and other schools including Mission and O’Connell!

Now, as programs assistant, Marisa will continue to make things run smoothly as she works with Erin Neeley on current in-schools projects and new ones, like the soon-to-open James Lick Writers Room! We are so excited that she is here to help!