Pumping Poems: Week 2 Rankings

Another week in the fundraiser, another update in our rankings.

After 2 weeks, together we're raised $8,383 — that's almost halfway to our $18,000 goal! With 30 heptathletes raising over 170 individual donations, that's an amazing effort! Good job everyone!

Don't forget: the next Literary Heptathlon event is less than a week away! Join us on Thursday, March 24 at Porter Square Books for Literary Jeopardy trivia night! Hosted by Boston Globe reporter and Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein, the evening will include two rounds of quizzical questions on the highs and lows of literary history.

Heptathletes, you'll want to come to this. In addition to prizes from Brattle Theatre, The Gallows restaurant, Flour Cafe and more, we'll be handing out a bunch of oh-so-valuable points! 200 for all attendees, 300 for 3rd place, 600 for 2nd and 1,000 for 1st. Those numbers are per person, per round, people! You could earn up to 2,200 points in one night (a $220 value)! Bonus points awarded for participants who bring out extra guests

So bring your team, bring your friends, RSVP here, and get ready for a night cranium scratching mayhem! Entry is FREE for fundraising heptathletes, $10 for all others.

Can't make it to Jeopardy? You can still earn points by contributing to the Writesomething story (learn more here). And stay tuned for our Championship Games on Thursday, April 14 at Hibernian Hall!

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

First	Last	Point Total
Jenna	Leschuk	12,100.00
Emily	Navarro	10,450.00
ryan	lambert	10,400.00
JoJo	Jacobson	10,110.00
Karen	Sama	6,310.00
Kristin	Baralli	4,450.00
Ruby	Perlmutter	3,951.00
Jennifer	Javier	3,450.00
Johnny	Sadoff	2,750.00
Christopher	Collins	2,650.00
Jessica	Drench	2,600.00
Edwin	Gonzalez	2,465.20
Daniel	Johnson	2,100.00
Madeline	Poage	2,000.00
Lauren	Clairmont	1,600.00
Lauren	Halloran	1,450.00
Max	Wright	1,200.00
Lauren	Halloran	1,100.00
Nakia	Hill	1,000.00
Rachel	Schowalter	1,000.00
Tess	Harvey	1,000.00
Fiona	Vidal-White	350.00
Emily	Biberger	300.00
Christopher	Lafortune	300.00
Joana	Abreu	200.00
Rachel	Cass	100.00
Will	Marshall	0.00
Mairead	Hadley	0.00
Amanda	Doughty	0.00
Will	Marshall	0.00

TEAM RANKINGS

Team	Money Raised		Point Total
IJK	$1,871	18,710.00	18910
Books in Progress	145	1,450.00	14500
Bigfoot Behemoths	1,290	12,900.00	13100
Maddy & JoJo	1211	12,110.00	12110
Revenge of the Nerds	755	7,550.00	7550
Team 3 Tentative Title	681.52	6,815.20	6915
Buck & Sky Win Trivia	480.1	4,801.00	4901
BIGFUNDING	300	3,000.00	3100
Bigfoot Kahunas	260	2,600.00	2700
Boston Chile Donut Grenades	180	1,800.00	2200

Don't forget to encourage and support your teammates in their fundraising efforts! Every dollar counts (as 10 points), so make sure you're whole team is working together towards your goal. We're all in this together, folks!

I hope you're fundraising muscles aren't fatigued yet, as we have a ways to go yet! Keep on pumping those literary irons!

**BONUS POINTS: 1,000 points for every additional person you recruit to become a heptathlete! Just email Chris@826boston.org so I can count it towards your total**

Tell Your Story, Earn Points: Contribute to Writesomething.org

Many of you heptathletes may be wondering: besides raising money, how can I earn more points before the Championship Games on April 14th?

The answer: contribute to the Writesomething.org story.

For those of you who want to boost your point total, you can earn points on a weekly basis, anywhere and any time you choose, simply by adding to this ongoing story.

What is Writesomething?

Writesomething.org is an open-source storytelling project developed in collaboration with Boston-based Berman Advertising. A living, evolving experiment, Writesomething is an opportunity for individuals to connect over the internet and create something strange, unpredictable, and awesome! This year's story centers on Harold, an abominable — and adorable — snowkitten with fierce instincts and ambitious that stretch far beyond his puny stature.

How does Writesomething help me earn points?

You can earn points with Writesomething in the following ways:

• Contribute to the interactive story, The Abominable Snowkitten
• 60 points per entry
• Max one entry per day

• Compete the weekly short story contest on Writesomething's Facebook page
• 60 points per entry
• 200 points awarded to the weekly winner
• This week: create a cryptid themed haiku!

• Engage with 826 Boston and Writesomething on social media
• 10 points for tagging @826Boston, @Writefor826, following 826 Boston and Writesomething on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Max 40 points per week

To track your accumulations of points, simply complete this weekly scorecared to Chris@826boston.org. 

You can earn over 200 points per week with Writesomething.org, so get started writing today to get that competitive edge on your fellow heptathletes!

Pick Up Your Pencils: Week 1 Rankings

Giant pencils, alliterative shouting matches, snarky bingo — it's been an exciting first full week for the Literary Heptathlon.

Thanks to the amazing fundraising of our Heptathletes, we've already raised more than $5,800 — that's more than 32% towards our $18,000 goal! That's a whole lot of pencils and paper, folks.

A hearty high five— and 100 points! — to everyone who came out to celebrate the kickoff at the 826 Boston center last Wednesday. Pencils were thrown, ping-pong played, and songs sung. A big thanks to our sponsors Artifact Cider, La Rana Rossa Pizzeria, Ula Cafe, Roxy Grilled Cheese, Sam Adams and City Feed & Supply for their donations of food, drink and prizes.

Don't miss out on our next LH game, Literary Jeopardy trivia night, Thursday March 24th, 7pm at Porter Square Books. Register yourself and tell your smarty-pants friends! Free for all Heptathletes, $10 for everyone else. Earn 200 points by attending, with a chance to win up to 500 points if you win! Plus, more gift cards from Flour Bakery, tickets to the Brattle Theatre, and more! RSVP today!

Can't wait to earn more points? Apart from fundraising, you can earn points by adding to the story at Writesomething.org! What will Herald, the abominable — and adorable — snowkitten do next? Write your part and watch the points roll in. Plus, watch the Writesomething facebook page for weekly writing competitions. Learn more about how to earn points with Writesomething here.

Below you'll find the current individual and team rankings for all Heptathletes.

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Last Name	First Name	Point Total (3/11)
Navarro	Emily	10450
Jacobson	JoJo	10110
Leschuk	Jenna	7500
lambert	ryan	7250
Perlmutter	Ruby	3651
Sama	Karen	3110
Javier	Jennifer	2950
Sadoff	Johnny	2150
Johnson	Daniel	2100
Gonzalez	Edwin	2082.6
Wright	Max	1300
Halloran	Lauren	1100
Collins	Christopher	1200
Hill	Nakia	1000
Abreu	Joana	200
Biberger	Emily	300
Lafortune	Christopher	300
Schowalter	Rachel	300
Vidal-White	Fiona	350
Cass	Rachel	100
Clairmont	Lauren	100

TEAM RANKINGS

Team	Money Raised	Point Total (3/11)
Bigfoot Behemoths	1,145	11650
IJK	1136	11560
Maddy & JoJo	1011	10110
Buck & Sky Win Trivia	350.1	3701
BIGFUNDING	300	3000
Revenge of the Nerds	295	2950
Bigfoot Kahunas	200	2100
Team 3 Tentative Title	198.26	2082.6
Boston Chile Donut Grenades	180	2250
Books in Progress	110	1100

Tune in next week for another update on individual and team rankings.

Want to join in on the literary love? Become a Heptathlete today, or make a general donation to support the cause.

Let the Games Begin! Join the Kickoff Party on Wed. March 9

Join us at our Egleston Square center on Wednesday, March 9th, at 7pm for a party to celebrate the start of the Literary Heptathlon!

For the next six weeks, 826 Boston’s community of volunteers and supporters will come together to compete in a series of fun and quirky athletic and literary games, and to raise more than $18,000 to support 826 Boston's free youth writing and tutoring programs.

At this event we’ll lay the ground rules, do some "warm-ups," and get to know our fellow competitors.

Enjoy refreshments from local pizzeria La Rana Rossa, cider from Artifact brewery, and live entertainment from local musicians.

All attendees will be entered to win a prize package of gift certificates from local businesses including Ula Cafe and Bella Luna Restaurant.

Sign up today to start your fundraising page and get a head start on the competition!

RSVP for the party here.

Introducing 826 Boston's Literary Heptathlon Fundraiser

Welcome to the first annual Literary Heptathlon, a community-based competitive fundraiser to benefit 826 Boston.

For the next six weeks, 826 Boston’s community of volunteers and supporters will come together to compete in a series of fun and quirky athletic and literary games, all in an effort to raise over $18,000 in support of 826 Boston's free youth writing and tutoring programs!

Sign up today and be a part of the competition!

Here's how our Literary Heptathlon works:

• Register as a heptathlete and create a personal fundraising page. 

• Heptathletes compete in a series of games - both physical and virtual - to earn points, which determine your ranking in the competition. While there are many ways to earn points, the most effective is by collecting donations and pledges. $1 = 10 points. 

• Additional ways to earn points include participating in athletic events, including the kickoff games, a Literary Jeopardy trivia night, mid-season training day meet ups, and the final Championship event. 

• You can also earn points virtually by contributing to Writesomething.org, an open-source storytelling project about a rapscallion snowkitten, as well as quick weekly writing contests 

• Set a fundraising goal, seek pledges per points earned or contributions to Writesomething.org, or ask for flat-rate donations from sponsors like friends, family and co-workers. 

Download an Outreach Packet for some resources about the competition, fundraising tips and more.

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, March 9, 6:30pm - Kickoff Party @ 826 Boston's Writing Center
• Thursday, March 24, 7pm - Literary Jeopardy @ Porter Square Books
• Thursday, April 14, 6pm - Championship Games @ TBA 

Questions? Please contact Chris Collins, AmeriCorps VISTA Development Associate, with any inquires.


About 826 Boston
Founded in 2007, 826 Boston is an award-winning youth writing center dedicated to teaching creative and expository writing to underserved students, ages 6 to 18, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. An independent chapter of the 826 network, co-founded by writer Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari in San Francisco, 826 Boston provides free programs that emphasize project-based learning, immersing students in a culture of creativity to bolster their self-esteem, communication skills, and academic performance. This year, 826 Boston will offer one-on-one writing support to more than 3,500 students and publish student writing in numerous publications such as Things Will Get Better and More Delicious: Stories from Our Lives So Far.