Erica Jolokai
It takes all kinds to run a place like 826michigan.
We have volunteers who are natural teachers, and others who prefer to help in quieter ways. Volunteers who seem to dream in Awesome Workshop Ideas, and volunteers who really shine at a table with a sixth-grader and some gnarly algebra homework. There are volunteers who never fail to step up when an event calls for some extra hands to pour wine, and volunteers who have folded and stuffed their WEIGHT in mailing materials.
It all works because each volunteer brings a unique set of skills to the table. And when we’re talking “unique set of skills”, Erica Jolokai is the FIRST to pop to our minds.
Erica is a loyal and reliable volunteer who has been holding down the Monday morning store shift for what seems like YEARS (glorious, wonderful years!) now. In her three hours in the store each week, she accomplishes a super-human amount of cleaning, assembling store products, processing volunteer applications, and sundry other tasks. She has also been our copyediting intern for the last 174 semesters (not an exaggeration — she has the Intern Appreciation Certificates to prove it!). In that capacity, Erica is an eagle-eyed catcher of typos and unclear antecedents who has saved our skins more times than we can count.
Erica has also staffed many an informational table at events like Mittenfest, and has even stepped up as a Traveling Editor (rocking some sweet glasses and a tie) during last winter’s final publication push at Ypsilanti Middle School.
It takes all kinds to run a place like 826michigan — but usually, all the kinds are very modest. We suspect Erica, like many of the people we feature as Volunteer of the Month, has no clue how indispensable she is to us or how much we really appreciate her presence and her talents.
Erica — we say this in the most loving way possible — GET A CLUE: 826michigan is a cleaner, wittier, better-written, and better-run operation with you around! We’re so happy you’re here!