Today is Youth Literacy Day, and as I’m writing this post I’m thinking about my own experiences with language arts from my childhood. From my sixth-grade English teacher Mrs. Goldstein who told me to keep writing because my stuff was ‘hilarious but nobody even knows it yet’ to my high-school teacher Mr. Boone, who could hardly believe that a 16-year-old could write so ‘provocatively about a rustic guitar’ that I knew ‘nothing about,’ I gained a real sense of why stories are important and why they need to be told.

While I may have not yet become the great American storyteller every writing teacher hopes will emerge from under their tutelage, creative writing taught me how to think creatively in everything that I do, a skill that’s relevant whether you’re developing medical breakthroughs or finding new ways to do business later in life.

Today, schools are often encouraged to teach more ‘practical’ skills, even though more creativity is what we really need in the 21st century to succeed. With schools being shuttered and education budgets slashed dramatically throughout the country, we are now offering less and less opportunities to do so, and the services that independent nonprofit education programs such as 826 National provide become increasingly essential to continue the growth and development that used to be the exclusive domain of our traditional day schools.

Started in San Francisco by the author Dave Eggers, the 826 writing centers across the country offer invaluable services to bridge the gap for students and families by providing one-on-one tutoring, writing workshops and language arts programs for young people – and all at no cost. Students can drop by after school to get assistance with any writing projects they’re working on, or be a part of a larger project, such the production of a monthly newspaper.

Helping students understand the difference between fiction and journalism as part of that weekly workshop at 826 Valencia was one of the first things I did after moving to San Francisco, even before getting a real job. And that’s just one of the real challenges of keeping these programs going. All of those who tutor are volunteers, and since all of the services are offered at no charge, the organization needs your help. Giving just $8.26 to 826 on 8/26 through text, PayPal or by dropping by your local 826 chapter goes a long way to support writing and language arts for youth across the country, as we need to keep nurturing the imaginations of our young thinkers for the future.