As a child, did you dream of becoming a published author? With $25,000, Joel Arquillos, Executive Director of 826LA, has made that dream possible for hundreds of Los Angeles kids–printing, binding, and distributing thousands of books created by students 6 to 18 years old. His Young Writers Project pairs volunteer writing instructors with hopeful young wordsmiths. Over three months, instructors help nurture these students from idea stage to literary birth, resulting in a growing library of local tomes ranging from ghost stories to memoirs. 826LA knows cities are crawling with stories, and young minds are permanently empowered by the opportunity to tell them.

With $25,000, Joel Arquillos made authors out of L.A. school kids. What could you do?