826 Michigan: Ann Arbor's Favorite Non Profit Organization

Early twenties you definitely didn’t anticipate late twenties you. 

Early twenties you was complaining about not getting enough tips at the coffee shop to go out for margaritas and burritos with fellow baristas.  Early twenties you was staying up until three in the morning attempting to write something that could be workshopped in a college classroom where everyone knew the intricate, honest (and sometimes dirty) details of your life. Early twenties you definitely didn’t anticipate late twenties you who moved to a new city, self-employed, friendless.

The harsh realities of moving to Ann Arbor as a graduate: my eventual employer recognizes my lack of a social life and suggests some community involvement, “You need to check out the Robot Supply and Repair store. Something cool goes on there.” I started peeking through the windows after hours and reading reviews on Yelp. What is this, a writing center or a robot store? The lack of clarity didn’t sit well with my nervous self – especially without a pal from whom I could request moral support should I actually step inside.

I am not totally proud to say how long it took me to figure it out. In 2014, at the start of Unpublished, I was approached by a lovely, hard-working fellow named D’Real Graham. D’Real is a passionate program coordinator for 826michigan, a non-profit organization situated within the Robot Supply and Repair shop on Liberty Street. 826michigan, which was established in 2005, supports students with their creative and expository writing skills and helps teachers inspire their students to write. Ah, thanks, D’Real!

Through D’Real, I was able to meet Brandan Pierce, program coordinator for 826michigan in Detroit (how’s that for friendless!?). Brandan, a caring, genuine educator aided in solving a lot of the 826michigan mysteries and was able to connect me with two very helpful women for this interview. Having a relationship with creative writing all of my life, and working with children for half of it, I am confident in saying that 826michigan is probably the coolest nonprofit organization. Ever.

Catherine Calabro’s experience with 826michigan started as an in-school residency volunteer and robotier in the Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair while an MFA student at the University of Michigan. Catherine became an intern with the workshops program in 2009, joined the staff as a program coordinator in 2010, and has worked for 826michigan in several capacities since then. 

Catherine oversees workshops, drop-in writing, tutoring and the 826michigan field trips program. She also helps with program content development and evaluation as Education Director and says that every day at 826michigan is different. “Right now I'm answering emails and holding a shift in the robot store. Later, I'll be meeting with volunteers and interns to plan upcoming writing prompts for tutoring and for our drop-in writing program…the variety of responsibilities is exciting and challenging, and the diversity of folks who I work with in a day is always such a tremendous honor. Since I am a writer and I studied writing and teaching writing throughout college and in graduate school, I am passionate about helping young people find their voices through writing, and helping direct our programs and volunteers so that they can best facilitate this!”
Students find 826michigan in a variety of ways—friends, teachers, local organizations or through the media. “Yesterday, a family in Ohio emailed us about signing up for workshops because they found us through a web search for writing programs,” Catherine says. 826michigan served around 2,800 students last year with the help of over 500 volunteers in Washtenaw County. 

Program Director Amy Sumerton has been with the organization since 2005, when 826michigan was located at 2245 South State Street. “This location was mostly chosen due to its proximity to the highway. The plan, from the very beginning, was to mainly serve Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and then, when the time was right, to spread into Detroit. As time passed, especially as we started plans for our robot shop, it became clear it wasn't so prime. We were located in the basement of an executive center. We had absolutely no foot traffic (an important consideration for any 826 store). We were sort of hard to find… I drove by the building twice on my first day of work. We had more space and more rooms than we needed,” Amy explains. 

In October 2007, 826michigan moved to downtown Ann Arbor. “The details are hazy now, but I do remember it happened very quickly, though we had been talking about it and looking at different spaces for a while. In May 2008, we opened our robot shop. At that time, it became clear that we’d found the perfect spot,” Amy says. The Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair shop helps to cover costs of having a downtown storefront—a huge help to any nonprofit organization. 826michigan also gathers a lot of support—donors, students and volunteers through the store. Amy continues, “This is also a very organic way to get the word out about our programs. People walk by between one and a hundred times before they decide to finally see what in the world is going on in that robot shop.” Hmm…sounds familiar.

Between tutoring, workshops, drop-in writing, field trips and in-school programs, it is clear that there is a lot going on at 826michigan. The glue that holds it all together is the belief that every student should have an opportunity to become a better writer and build a better future. After gaining this understanding, I started wondering about distinctions between 826michigan in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Detroit. Having spent time in each of these Michigan locations, I know that each city is unique and different from the other. Perhaps this program looks a little different in each place. “The core goals and missions for each program are largely similar, but how we implement them has always been catered to what a specific student, teacher, or school might need at any given time. They are, as you might imagine, always changing in each city as needs change and grow,” Amy Sumerton explains. 

Writer, editor and publisher Dave Eggers, along with educator Nínive Calegari founded the 826 organization in San Francisco, which gave way to 826 National and to chapters in seven other cities. Amy says that Dave Eggers visits 826michigan about twice a year, “he has been and continues to be a great friend, supporter, and source of inspiration to us all.”

There is no doubt that Ann Arbor is a book town. Many of us spent our holiday shopping hours in bookstores and became familiar with this book cover. This remarkable book is full of stories written by students and illustrated by Dave Eggers. “Last spring, Dave visited and dropped in on a program at the Boggs School in Detroit. He was very taken with the school, its philosophy, and its students. He left with a copy of Up in the Air, a chapbook we’d compiled of the student work that came out of our after-school writing club. He took the chapbook back to San Francisco with him, where he read it to his kids, who thought it was the best thing ever,” Amy explains. “He decided to illustrate the stories, and voila! A book was born – after many hours of hard work, of course!”

Order your copy of Where is it Coming From here. 

It doesn't have to take two years and several walks by the beautiful robot displays in a Liberty Street storefront to contribute to Ann Arbor's favorite nonprofit. To get involved with 826michigan, click here!