Al Lucero was in high school during the 60s when he first tutored. Although his recollection of the details is a little sketchy (it was the 60s), the satisfaction he took away has motivated him as a teacher for the last twenty-something years. Al teaches high school English and is polishing a memoir inspired by the discovery five years ago that he was switched at birth; tutoring in Echo Park and meeting Dave Eggers have motivated him to consider using his future royalties to further student writing skills. He is both tickled and humbled by this honor.

Pamela Martin is an East Coast transplant who has slowly but surely fallen in love with LA. One of the things she enjoys most in the City of Angels is helping at 826LA workshops at the Hammer Museum. The creativity the students show in this adopted space even inspired her to go back to grad school for arts management so she can bring similar programs to other museums.

John Susoeff is a third-generation native of Los Angeles for whom a trip to Echo Park marks a return to his birthplace (the former Queen of Angels Hospital, a stone's throw from 826LA East). When he's not moving refrigeration units for the Time Travel Mart, John spends his days working as the Creative Director of a small design firm in Hollywood, and his nights and weekends livin' la vida loca in Long Beach with his lovely and talented wife Cindy and his son Matthew.

Peter Wendel recently revealed his secret identity (Turkey Man) while collaborating with aspiring superheroes at Santa Monica's John Adams Middle School, who were working on a comic book project and assisted by 826LA tutors. A real estate agent by day who's in constant search of just the right sauce and dressing to enhance the sale of a home, Turkey Man stays busy looking for new recipes and finds that volunteering with 826LA gets the creative juices flowing, refreshing him and reminding him that life is indeed a banquet.