On August 26, we celebrated our official holiday (826 Day, 8/26….get it?) and our 15th anniversary at a wonderful, fun-filled block party that gathered over 1,000 community members on Valencia St. Students, families, friends, and volunteers joined us for an afternoon of whimsical festivity to celebrate our young writers and their stories. The event was co-hosted by our friends and neighbors at Different Fur Studios, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary this year! We couldn’t have asked for better partners for this event.
Carnival games and a dunk tank were a huge success among attendees, who soaked up the sun and the beautiful weather while strolling down the block. Live music on the Bandwagon Stage, made everyone swing with a big smile on their faces. Student readers from across our programs graced the stage throughout the afternoon to proudly share their work, and the Mission High Dancers amazed us with their moves. Rock bands Soltron, Owl Paws, and dot Vom played cheerful sets that helped pave the way to Thao Nguyen’s beautiful, closing concert.
20 different booths kept people entertained with a variety of subjects—from Women’s Audio Mission synth block building to Little Artistas crafts—inspiring the whole family whether you’re eight or 80. Enterprise for Youth tested students’ leadership skills with a cool quiz while Google.org showcased our recent collaboration, which brought a new dimension to our students’ writing using virtual reality.
Prizes were also raffled off by Different Fur to encourage students to contribute with writing pieces. And the result couldn’t be better! The atmosphere was pure joy as students shared their stories..
We are so grateful for everyone that showed up and made this event a reality. A huge thank you to all of our partners, staff, volunteers, families, and community members that help power our work every day.