Jacqui Robbins!
Now that we’ve been operating on Liberty Street for a year and a half, we are starting to see the 826michigan that operated on State Street as ancient history. It is easy, then, to categorize volunteers as “those who have been with us for a long time,” aka State Streeters, and “those who have been with us a short/reasonable/not-super-long amount of time,” aka Liberty Streeters. All this exposition is just a long-winded (What? US??) way of telling you that Jacqui Robbins, our Volunteer of the Month for March, is a State Streeter.
More impressive, however, than the length of time she’s has helped us, is the variety of things she has helped us with:
- Every Friday morning this school year, she has been a part of our Erickson Elementary In-Schools Residency. She worked in five different classrooms helping teachers with whatever they need help with. As a former teacher herself, she is integral to this program!
- Jacqui has taught, without question, some of the best and most creative workshops we’ve ever offered. In fact, Acting it Out and Writing it Down has the unofficial honor of being our Most Talked About Workshop. (It’s true. Students often mention it!)
- She’s used her expertise as the author of several incredible children’s books as the basis for teaching a couple of children’s book seminars to raise money for 826michigan.
- She’s one of our very-most-favorite board members.
- Jacqui has also done her fair share of one-on-one tutoring.
- On March 14, she is hosting an Ides of March party to benefit us. From the sounds of it, it’s going to be as fun and wacky as the Fortress Party Zach and Lauren London (also a board member) had for us in December.
- She regularly makes huge sacrifices for us. For example, she encouraged her husband to grow a mustache for our Mustache-a-Thon.
- Aaaaand she’s also done about a million other things to help us fulfill our mission and stay afloat.
On top of being (clearly) a stellar volunteer, there are other reasons why we like her. They include: the fact that she’s a ruthless advocate for underdogs; she’s very, very funny; she’s a Yale graduate (that’s just impressive); she’s great with kids because she’s very honest with them; she takes her fun seriously; she’s a former theater director who helped every single fourth grade student in the New Haven, CT schools write and perform original plays; she writes truly wonderful children’s books; and she has really, really nice family.
Jacqui, thanks so much for all the varied and impressive ways you have helped us since you first showed up, way back in our State Street days. We love you!