Philadelphia Young Playwrights Named Champion in Action, Receive 25K

Four of the region's foremost corporate leaders announced that Philadelphia Young Playwrights is the latest nonprofit to be named a Champion in Action®. Philadelphia Young Playwrights received the Champion in Action recognition because of its effective arts education program for students in the Philadelphia region. Philadelphia Young Playwrights uses playwriting to give children a creative outlet to express their thoughts and feelings. As a Champion in Action, Philadelphia Young Playwrights will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support over the next three months. Champions in Action is an innovative program that provides various forms of support for small nonprofit organizations in recognition of their contributions to communities throughout the fivecounty Philadelphia area. Since its inception in 2003, including today's announcement, 18 Champions have been selected.

"Citizens Bank is pleased to join NBC 10, Greater Philadelphia Cares, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and Philly.com in naming Philadelphia Young Playwrights as our new Champion in Action," said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, Citizens Bank President and CEO for Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. "Philadelphia Young Playwrights offers students a way to explore their own creativity and find positive ways to voice their personal feelings. The agency's programs not only improve the students' writing and creative thinking skills, but give them the tools to communicate effectively and the confidence to express their opinions." "NBC 10 is proud to be a partner with the Champions in Action program," said Dennis Bianchi, President and General Manager of NBC 10. "Strong partnerships and programs such as this allow us to demonstrate our  community commitment, and give us the chance to thank local nonprofits, such as Philadelphia Young Playwrights, that do so much good work in communities across our region. Philadelphia Young Playwrights has a strong program that serves more than 1500 students in our region each year."

"Philadelphia Young Playwrights' curriculum partners professional theater artists with classroom teachers in a year-long in-school program" said Carol Dooling, Director of Communications and Partnerships at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com. "The curriculum's focus on self-expression empowers children to influence positive change in their own lives and communities."

"Volunteer support can be helpful to an organization such as Philadelphia Young Playwrights," said Renee Archawski, Executive Director of Greater Philadelphia Cares. "We are delighted to pledge our support to help Philadelphia Young Playwrights expand their performances to broader audiences so more Philadelphians can enjoy the artistic contributions of our talented youth."

Philadelphia Young Playwrights' Executive Producing Director, Glen Knapp, and agency staff learned that they were selected as a Champion in Action during a surprise segment of the 10! Show on NBC 10. As a Champion in Action, Philadelphia Young Playwrights will receive:

∙ A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation.
∙ Media coverage from NBC 10, including public service announcements and profiles.
∙ Advertising space in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and on Philly.com to promote both the program and the organization.
∙ Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, NBC 10 and Greater Philadelphia Cares.
∙ Extensive public relations support.
∙ Promotional support, highlighting the Champion in Action in all Citizens Bank branches.
∙ Exposure on the Web sites of Citizens Bank, NBC 10 and Philly.com.
∙ Consulting and implementation services, provided by Greater Philadelphia Cares, to leverage volunteer support that enhances impact.
Founded in 1987 by Adele Magner, and led today by Executive Producing Director Glen Knapp, Philadelphia Young Playwrights is an award-winning program that taps the potential of youth and inspires learning through playwriting in up to 50 public and private K-12 schools each year. A leader in the region's educational programs for youth and built upon its primary belief that all students have something important and valuable to say, Young Playwrights has enriched the Greater Philadelphia community, touching the lives of thousands of students, teachers and parents for the past twenty years. Since 1987, approximately 60 professional playwrights have led workshops, and nearly all of Philadelphia's professional theater companies have participated by performing, producing, or directing student works. Nearly 60,000 students have seen peers' work produced in class or by professionals. Young Playwrights' Literary Committee includes more than 60 educators, writers, parents, and former Young Playwrights students who read and critique each student script submitted to the Annual Playwriting Festival. Young Playwrights is a past recipient of 2005 and 1997 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service, a 2003 George Bartol Award for Excellence in Arts Education, a national "Points of Light" designation, and a 2004 Eastern University Award for Nonprofit Excellence. For more information, visit phillyyoungplaywrights.org.

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