Mighty Writers Expands to Camden

Next month, the award-winning Mighty Writers will expand beyond Philadelphia for the first time with a new location in Camden, New Jersey. The student literacy non-profit's new permanent location - their fifth - will be based in the Nick Virgilio Writers House (1801 Broadway) in the Waterfront South section of the city

"We've had numerous requests over the years to bring our programs to Camden," says Tim Whitaker, Mighty Writers' executive director. "We're thrilled to have found a home at the brand new Nick Virgilio Writers House. We think of Camden as a blood brother to Philly and we can't wait to meet the city's kids."

Mighty Writers Camden will launch with several one-day summer writing workshops for neighborhood students. In September, when the school year begins, the Camden location will begin offering Mighty Writers' signature Academy program and eventually launch evening and weekend classes as well. As at all Mighty Writers locations, classes will be free, open to all students, and cover a wide variety of subjects in the effort to help students think clearly and write with clarity. They will also be looking to offer bilingual classes for Camden's large Spanish-speaking community.

Nearing their ten-year anniversary in January, Mighty Writers' programs have proven results for the 3,000 students they teach annually in Philadelphia. 82% of Mighty Writers parents notice improvement in their child academically and/or socially, and 74% of Mighty Writers' Academy students achieved grade level proficiency in writing (compared to the Philadelphia average of 40%). Philadelphia Magazine named the organization "Best in Philly" in 2017, writing, "The Mighty Writers mission - teaching kids to think clearly so they can write clearly and thus express themselves clearly - seems more relevant than ever."

About Mighty Writers

Mighty Writers was founded in 2009 with the mission to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity. The organization offers free programs for students from elementary through high school at centers in four diverse Philadelphia neighborhoods, including one bilingual location for Spanish-speaking students. Mighty Writers offers daily afterschool academies, long- and short-term writing classes nights and weekends, teen scholar programs, mentorships, College Prep courses and college essay writing classes. Over 400 of the city's best creative minds (writers, teachers, journalists, etc.) teach 150 writing classes a year to 3,000 kids at Mighty Writers annually.

Founder and executive director Tim Whitaker began his career teaching fifth and sixth grade in Philadelphia before becoming a writer and editor. He is the author of "Crash: The Life and Times of Dick Allen." He was the editor of Philadelphia Weekly (1994-2008), and previously the editor of PhillySport and Pittsburgh magazines. Whitaker was a head writer at NBC Radio and has written for The New York Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer.