Mighty Writers is a fantastic, nonprofit organization with multiple locations in Philadelphia. The organization was started by Tim Whitaker in 2009. Whitaker worked in journalism for 30 years and grew tired of constantly seeing stories about Philadelphia’s literacy crisis. His solution? Open a 100% cost free center for students to receive tutoring and mentoring. Thus, Mighty Writers was born.
The need for an organization like this became abundantly clear as soon as the doors opened. Mighty Writers was immediately mobbed by students seeking writing and reading assistance. They currently have two locations and assist 2,000 students through after school programs, writing workshops and SAT prep classes.
Mighty Writers is supported by generous donations from the community and their 300 person team of volunteers. The organization has a simple mission: they teach students to think clearly and write with clarity because when kids do both of these things, they make smart decisions and when they make enough smart decisions, success follows. They also feel, as Whitaker states, that “when kids learn to express themselves, their self-esteem soars.” The team at Mighty Writers clearly enjoys the work that they do, being able to help students and the Philadelphia community while learning a lot from their students along the way.
Every Mighty Writers’ student has left to pursue a college degree, which is amazing, and clearly demonstrates that this organization is doing extraordinary work. The staff is currently working to expand to a third location in South Philadelphia in an attempt to reach more students. They stated that they want to reach as many Philadelphia students as they possibly can and we hope that they do!
Might Writers is an amazing organization and yet another example of how much Philly Cares!
