<strong>WHO:</strong> 826NYC, an organization founded by celebrated author Dave Eggers to foster creative writing skills in under-resourced students, and CBX, a Manhattan-based branding agency..
<strong>WHAT:</strong> The students and agency joined together for 'The Great Lemonation Imagination Collaboration' workshop, a two-month project to create a dream lemonade stand. Students, aged 9-12, from 826NYC will operate the stand for a day in Flatiron Plaza, the culmination of a pro-bono effort led by CBX in which the children's creative energies were tapped for everything from the naming of the business to the design of the logo, stand, product packaging, and uniforms. Students and 826NYC supporters will be on hand to give away the lemonade and collect donations. Executives from CBX and 826NYC will be available for interviews, along with the students. To view a 1-minute video of the project, visit: www.cbx.com.
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<strong>WHEN:</strong> Wednesday, August 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m..
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<strong>WHERE:</strong> Flatiron Plaza (SW corner of Broadway and 23rd Street in Manhattan).
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<strong>MORE DETAILS:</strong> 826NYC (<a href="http://www.826nyc.org/" target="_blank">www.826nyc.org</a>) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping under-resourced students, ages 6-18, strengthen their writing skills and improve their academics through evening and weekend workshops, afterschool tutoring, in-schools projects, and creative writing field trips. The Brooklyn-based organization specializes in writing-based projects including college essays, student publications, creative-writing assignments, and expository papers. The 826 organization was launched by Dave Eggers, author of best-seller "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and founder of publishing house McSweeney's..
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Commenting on the project, Eggers said: "As a project-based learning center, 826 has always tried to focus on making things whereby the students feel like their work has real-world application. So, over the years, the students at 826NYC have made incredible short films, written novels, produced radio shows and made hundreds of chapbooks. The lemonade stand project with CBX is right in keeping with this idea -- how do you make writing feel electric and essential and how do you give students an authentic outside audience? This project works on so many levels. Having the students plan with the professionals at CBX, execute and then interact with the general public in Flatiron Plaza is an experience that will have a profound effect on these young people."