In 2005, the non-profit organization, 826Chicago, opened its doors in Wicker Park. Its mission: to foster the creative and expository writing skills of kids, and to help teachers inspire their students to write. Mara Fuller O’Brien joined 826Chicago at its launch. As the current co-director of the organization, she develops programming that reaches kids in school, after school, during the evenings and even on weekends. Tutors work individually with kids to help them develop basic writing assignments, research papers, oral histories, short stories and novels.