Being able to write their own stories is a transformative experience for kids (Credit: Mighty Writers)
Liz Spikol is the director of communications at Mighty Writers
Mighty Writers was founded in 2009 to teach kids ages 3 -17 to think clearly and write with clarity by journalist Tim Whitaker and writing specialist and educator Rachel Loeper. For both growing up, writing had been a lifeline, and they wanted to share the transformative power of being able to tell your own story with children in Philadelphia.
Whitaker is executive director of the nonprofit organization and Loeper is director of operations and impact.
Mighty Writers started in Philadelphia, but now also has other locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Texas. All programs are free.
Mighty Writers offers after-school programs that improve academic performance as well as address educational and socioeconomic inequities and build social-emotional skills. They also run summer camps and mentoring programs and host family and community programs in the evenings and on the weekends.
In addition, Mighty Writers runs a Food Distribution program which provides fresh food and other essential resources like diapers, period products, school supplies and other essential resources.
The nonprofit also offers virtual workshops and brings their programs to schools, social service agencies and community centers.
Liz Spikol, director of communications for Mighty Writers, spoke to Access Network about how the nonprofit continues to evolve to meet the needs of the kids and families in the communities they serve.
She explained that they tailor their programs to each community and work closely with community organizations. Some of the programs are bilingual, catering to the Spanish-speaking families living in the communities they serve.
Spikol said, “It is really important to us to see bilingualism as a strength not a weakness.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Mighty Writers also offers virtual workshops and a food distribution program which provides fresh food and other essential items.
“Many of our families come from underserved neighborhoods. What we heard from them was that they didn’t have the same access to food during the pandemic, so we started providing free lunches and that program grew into our current Food Distribution program,” she explained.
“If children are hungry or don’t have their basic needs met, they can’t think critically. We want to make sure they and their families have everything they need to move forward.”
Social-emotional learning is also incorporated into their programs to help kids not only learn how to write and express themselves, but to also build self-confidence, empathy, mindfulness and resilience.
How Can the Community Help?
On how community members can help Mighty Writers fulfill their mission, Spikol said that volunteers and donations are always greatly appreciated.
“We rely heavily on volunteers. We have amazing volunteers, working in a variety of capacities from volunteering in the food pantry to working one-on-one with a kid on summer reading.”
Individuals and businesses can also help by making a financial donation or by donating needed items like books.
“There are so many demands on people’s time and wallets, so fundraising is a challenge. It is an ongoing battle always,” she said.
Right now, the need for the services they provide continues to grow with children on waiting lists at their different sites.
“We wish we could do more because we see it works,” Spikol said.
For information about Mighty Writers and location sites, visit them at mightywriters.org.
