Today, in partnership with 826 National, Hot Studio, Carbon Five, and VolunteerMatch, we re-launched  OnceUponASchool.org, the online initiative developed in response to author and philanthropist Dave Eggers’ 2008 TED Prize wish to inspire and collect the stories of private citizens engaged in their local public schools.

The new website is a fully searchable repository of stories inspired by Eggers’ wish, as well as a resource for people looking to get involved with their local public school. VolunteerMatch powers a custom-built search engine within the site that provides access to the largest database of volunteer opportunities in the country. Teach for America and 826 — a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students with expository and creative writing, co-founded by Dave Eggers in 2002 – have signed on as partners, and are helping populate the database with volunteer opportunities. Teachers and schools are encouraged to log onto the VolunteerMatch website to post their volunteer needs and be matched with Once Upon A School participants.

Individuals, groups, and companies are invited to creatively share their volunteer experiences on OnceUponASchool.org using images and video to bring their story to life. One example of a business getting involved is this short documentary showcasing TED sponsor Vosges Haut Chocolat (www.vosgeschocolate.com) “Travel the World Through Chocolate” project. The two-hour workshop focused on How to Eat Chocolate, Truffle Making and Chocolate Storytelling. It took only one Vosges employee and two hours to inspire an entire company and create change and good within the community.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Dave Eggers' Wish Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.