Eastern Market Corporation, November 2016 Supporter of the Month!

November 1, 2016 | 826 Blog Post

Eastern Market Corporation logo

We’ve been talking about it a lot lately, but we’re so thrilled to have finally opened the Detroit Robot Factory!e It’s been eleven years in the making and we are bursting at the seams in anticipation of the many students who will join us soon to craft the next generation of great stories. We love what we do and are so honored to have such fantastic support to do it. And, as you surely know by now, we can’t serve 3,700+ students each year without great partners and this month we want to publicly acknowledge another grand partner in our newest home.

The Eastern Market Corporation is pretty fantastic, friends. When we were looking for the perfect place to build the Detroit Robot Factory, the EMC welcomed us with open arms and its President Dan Carmody wrote some incredible words of support for us, helping to attract even more terrific partners and funders to bring the DRF to fruition. The organization has been a present and enthusiastic supporter of our work with students; understands and appreciates our quirky brand of writing education; and continues to welcome innovative new partnerships between 826michigan and the Eastern Market to promote youth-focused spaces in health and community-centered neighborhoods like the Eastern Market District.

In addition to helping ensure we could transition smoothly into our new home, the EMC continues to support 826michigan in other important and creative ways. The EMC recently approved us for a facade grant to beautify our building and entice foot traffic throughout the week, and it has also awarded us a Citizens Bank Growing Communities Micro-Grant for our very necessary point-of-sale system. Sales from the Detroit Robot Factory, like those at Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair in Ann Arbor, are critical to our business model as they all go back into programming for our students. Speaking of programming for students, despite the fact that we haven’t yet welcomed any into our writing lab yet, (we’re putting the finishing touches on it so that everything is perfect when they arrive), we have already hosted students from Spain Elementary-Middle School and the Boggs School in partnership with the Michigan Fitness Foundation and MOCAD in Shed 3 for Walk to School Day 2016. Staff of the EMC were on hand for the event, making sure that building matters ran smoothly in the background and helping to create a positive, memorable experience for students. (We’re also capping off our 826 Hours of Celebration by having our Eat Your Words Gala in the beautiful Shed 5!)

Is there really a lot more to say about why we’re thrilled to be official members of the Eastern Market community? (After a welcome like we’ve had, we’re sure that the years to come will give us at least one thousand more.) Thanks so much, Eastern Market Corporation! We are thrilled to call the Eastern Market home and celebrate you as our Supporter of the Month!


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