My Nonprofit Reviews
Eleanor M.
Review for The Office of Letters and Light, Berkeley, CA, USA
OLL has been outstanding in the service they provide individual people as well as society on a whole; literacy and creativity. In a world plagued by TV and movies no one has time for imagination and books any more. OLL has made it possible to motivate both self and others to imagine a new story (one that isn't Harry Potter or Twilight or Jursey Shores), create it and by creating it they write. Whether it's NaNoWriMo or Script Frenzy, all the participants have to start and work the same way, one word after another, and that's fantastic.
But they're more then just words on .doc files or paper, the guys back in the Office work their butts off to organize book drives and other sorts of events that raise money for literacy programs. Oops, there's that word again, literacy.
Here in Ontario we have a problem with kids not passing their grade 10 Literacy tests (approx 40% of test-takers fail) and therefore not being able to graduate high school until they do pass the class. OLL puts money into literacy programs all over North America and the UK to develop these sadly underfunded programs.
OLL is creating a future for a generation raised on media and spell check. I can't think of a better thing to do.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I hear regularly first hand from parents, teachers, siblings, and significant others how Tom, Julie, Missy, and Rob have become a lot more attentive, focused, creative, and motivated after partaking in NaNoWriMo. Teachers have made comments and I even know of three high school teachers whom have instituted NaNo as part of their first semester curriculum because of the benifits. They have also noted that the kids who do partake in NaNo pass their Literacy Tests and display more self confidence.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Institute a Chapter office in every country in the world. Ambitious yes, but even Caesar was not without ambition. I personally feel that if OLL was able to put an Office in one or more of the major cities (depending on the country of course, ie. Wales would only need one, where as China, Cananda, and USA would benifit from three or more). Over head would increase initially, however the overall benifit to both OLL and societies would increase tenfold with more focused and individualised attentions.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
Did your volunteer experience have an effect on you? (teaching you a new skill, or introducing new friends, etc.)
It helped me to develop my skills as a leader and taught me the power and importance of time management, lol. I have made and maintained many a new friend because of NaNo and Script Frenzy in numerous cities and countries.
How did this volunteer experience make you feel?
Amazing. The support network created for both Wimos and MLs is amazing, strong, and highly supportive. I'm looking forward to next year.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
