826LA at Bob Baker Day

On September 20th, 826LA celebrated with our friends at Bob Baker Marionette Theater for their annual Bob Baker Day at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
At our booth, staff met with old friends and new ones. Several attendees saw our bright red, circular logo and came up to us saying, “826LA! I know you!” We met teachers who had partnered with us in the past, lapsed volunteers who were eager to get back involved, and even a student and their family who had just joined our tutoring program.

Other onlookers approached with curiosity, wondering aloud, “826LA? What do you do?” There were teachers eager to know more about our book projects, librarians interested in hosting our writing workshops, and many, many students and their families who were excited by the potential to become published authors.

The highlight for many was our first-ever mobile bookmaking station! Each visitor to our booth was able to experience some of the magic of our famous Storytelling & Bookmaking field trip by assembling and then binding their very own book. Some took home a copy of “The Escape: An Endless Sage” written by Ms. K’s third-grade class from WISH Charter Elementary, while others chose their own adventure and opted for “The Hunt for a Smoothie so Great” by Mr. Purdy’s sixth-grade class from Thomas Starr King Middle School.

826LA’s booth was part of the Hooray for LA section of the event, a who’s who of non-profits, service organizations, and arts enrichment programs. It was a great opportunity to bring together those who are helping expand access to the arts across the city and celebrate creativity in all its forms, whether that's with a puppet show or a bound book.