We’re excited to introduce you to our January Volunteer of the Month, Stephanie Frescas! Stephanie joined 826NYC in early 2022 and has supported our weekend workshops ever since! Find out more about Stephanie from her interview below:

826NYC: How did you first get involved with 826NYC and why did you decide to volunteer?

Stephanie: I had recently moved to the city, and I thought finding cool volunteering opportunities would be a great way to settle in. I just Googled around for volunteer opportunities that involved writing and working with kids— because I think both are pretty fun!

826NYC: What’s your favorite part of 826NYC?

Stephanie: The genius, weird, and hilarious stories kids come up with. Like a story a girl wrote where a banana and orange played make-believe that they were a panda and a tiger, then went on to solve racism. It’s fun to be around little humans whose brains are just on a completely different wavelength than mine. 

826NYC: What do you do when you’re not at 826NYC?

Stephanie: My time is about equally split between spending time with friends, working, wandering around the library and picking up interesting books until I can’t carry any more, and running.

826NYC: What advice would you give a new volunteer?

Stephanie: I’ve learned a lot from watching Jaydra teach! I think the biggest lesson has been to be as flexible and patient with the kids as possible—if a kid gets off task, instead of trying to force them to work in one specific way, try to figure out an approach that’ll make the task fun, or at least less challenging, for them. 826 should teach them that writing can be fun!

826NYC: What are your superpowers?

Stephanie: I have super thrift powers! I’m pretty good at finding free and cheap activities around town. (Get a NY library card—lots of pay-what-you-wish museum admissions and there’s even a deal at the Wollman skating rink.)

Want to support our students in the new year? Sign up for a volunteer orientation today!