MightyWriters

Featured Volunteer: Shivani Srivastav

School: University of Pennsylvania

Field of Study: English/Biological Basis of Behavior

Hometown: Boston

What do you do at Mighty Writers?
I talk to kids, help them with their homework when they need help and guide them along in developing their skills and imaginations.

What did you like to write as a kid?
I always wrote fantasy stories. I loved making up faraway lands where people could have magical powers.

What is your favorite thing to write now?
I still write fantasies because I haven’t lost my love for them at all. My stories are just a lot longer than they used to be.

In your opinion, what makes someone a Mighty Writer?
A Mighty Writer is someone who is enthusiastic about his or her work, who puts 100% into everything even if he thinks he cannot do it or will be bad at it. A Mighty Writer is someone who always tries.

What keeps you coming back to Mighty Writers?
The kids! I love spending time with them and hearing all their stories and their views on life.

Why do writing and Philly go together?
Philly is such a crazy city with different surprises around every corner. Writing is like that too… once you start, you never know where you’ll end up.

How does Mighty Writers make your life better?
It helps me share everything I’ve learned from my schools and my family, and I like passing these lessons on.

If you could put a second Mighty Writers anywhere, where would it be?
Bombay! Because I want creative writing throughout the world.

What was your favorite book as a kid?
“Alanna: The First Adventure” by Tamora Pierce

“To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”?
To Kill a Mockingbird

What was the last book you read?
Pride and Prejudice

Shakespeare or Stephen King?
Shakespeare

Who influenced you to care about writing and how did they do it?
My mom. She reads constantly, and just by reading she made me love books and want to write them.

Why is writing important?
It lets our imagination take control and come out into beautiful words.

Every month, we feature a Mighty volunteer on the MW website. Our volunteers (more than 300 each year) make us who we are, and they help keep our writing programs free for kids. Interested in volunteering? Sign up today!

“Kids make you want to start life over.”

—Muhammad Ali

Meet Kevin Ferroni.

Kevin will be working with Mighty Writers as part of Citizens Bank’s Community Service Sabbatical Program, which provides selected employees in each state with a three-month paid leave of absence so they can work full-time at a nonprofit.

Employer & Education:
Citizens Bank, and before that, Delran High School and King’s College

Hometown: Westampton, NJ

What did you like to write as a kid?
“I loved writing in a daily journal, especially poems and short stories.”

What is your favorite thing to write now?
“I write letters to my children for them to read when they get older.”

Who influenced you to care about writing and how did they do it?
“My 9th grade history teacher, Mr. McGonigle. He taught me that writing is the best way to express your opinion, and to keep your thoughts organized.”

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“I write letters to my children for them to read when they get older.”

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What was your favorite book as a kid?
“The Giving Tree.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”?
“To Kill a Mockingbird”

What was the last book you read?
“A biography of Andrew Jackson.”

Shakespeare or Stephen King?
“Shakespeare.”

Why is writing important?
“It helps teach people to put their thoughts and opinions down in an organized way.”

Why is financial literacy important?
“Learning about finance teaches you responsibility and creditworthiness. By managing your finances in the right manner, you are eligible for better interest rates on loans, credit cards, etc.”

Kevin’s placement at Mighty Writers marks a milestone as he is the 100th Citizens employee to participate in the Sabbatical Program. Since it was established in 1994, the Community Service Sabbatical Program has donated 48,000 hours of community service valued at more than $1 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the bank’s footprint.

Be sure to say hi to Kevin when you see him around Mighty Writers!

The Philadelphia School District recently announced it would be shutting down school buildings on weekends and closing earlier on weeknights.

First, public schools close, then Catholic schools close, now the schools that are still open will be closed following dismissal to save money on utilities, personnel and overtime.

Good grief.

Wasn’t the goal to improve the dropout rate and curtail violence by keeping kids safe and mentally and physically active?

Education in Philadelphia. It can feel like death by a thousand cuts.

The message is clear: the system is broke and broken. You’re on your own.

Fine. Best to know where you stand.

What that means for us at Mighty Writers is that we have to dig deeper, keep our doors open longer, spread our message of literacy further, schedule even more writing workshops that are fun and smart and will keep everyone’s eyes on the prize.

Maybe down the line, when the economy gets better, when all the cutbacks and layoffs have been exhausted, when we get an enlightened school superintendent that sticks around for awhile, things will get better for kids in Philadelphia.

Maybe. But there’s no percentage in waiting to find out.

You get a small window of time to impact kids. Adolescence is precious. Think about your own. Think about how fast it blew by.

At Mighty Writers, we believe in the power of writing to create change. All kids have great stories to tell, and especially Philly kids. When they tell them, great things happen. Confidence and self-esteem grows. Clarity prevails.

Lives change.

Our message is a clear one: There’s no time to waste.

For the sake of the city’s future, we have to act now.

Tim Whitaker
Executive Director, Mighty Writers

P.S. This is where you can help us >>>> www.mightywriters.org/donate/

Mighty Writers stops to remember Philadelphia native and
“60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley during Black History Month.

Our “Creating a Comic Universe” Sunday workshop on South Street just concluded. New MIGHTYVISION comics workshops to begin at 641 South Street in two weeks. Watch this space for details. (Thank you to workshop leaders Janelle Smith & Kayla Miller)

“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.” —Maya Angelou