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Cotton Bowl Foundation Awards $200,000 in Grants to Support North Texas Youth Organizations in 2016
The Cotton Bowl Foundation today announced $200,000 in grants to support Mercy Street, Café Momentum, Dallas Independent School District’s Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy and the Top-20 elementary schools/programs that participated in the 20th anniversary of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Art Contest.
The Cotton Bowl Foundation’s mission is to serve the communities associated with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic by supporting programs that improve opportunities for underserved youth. The Foundation’s vision is to make an impact on those who play the game, attend the game and support the game.
“Our goal is to give back to the North Texas community that has continually supported the Cotton Bowl Classic for now nearly 81 years,” Jay McAuley, Cotton Bowl Foundation Chairman said. “We are proud to assist these wonderful organizations as they use new and creative ways to improve the lives of those they serve. Our hope is that these gifts will directly support the important work done by these incredible groups in developing the leaders of tomorrow.”
The Cotton Bowl Foundation awarded $100,000 to Mercy Street to be paid over two years to support the building of a new football field to support youth programs as part of Mercy Street’s “Field of Dreams” Sports Complex.
Mercy Street’s mission is to build leaders from the youth of West Dallas with sports programs being a central focus in mentorship, teaching teamwork and leadership skills. They help over 2,600 students annually in grades 4-12 from West Dallas schools.
"We are extremely grateful for the grant from the Cotton Bowl Foundation and the commitment they have made to improving the lives of the kids in West Dallas through sports,” Trey Hill, Mercy Street Executive Director said. “The rich history of the Cotton
Bowl that is now being leveraged to make significant investments back into the city through the foundation is really an incredible gift. I know that by providing safe, first class
facilities for the kids and their families to play sports and learn all the valuable lessons that can be learned through sports will create a lasting impact on the lives of the West Dallas residents."
Café Momentum, a Dallas-based restaurant and culinary training facility, received a $30,000 grant that will support the mission of transforming young lives by equipping the community’s most at-risk youth with life skills, education and employment opportunities to help them achieve their full potential.
"The Cotton Bowl, Dallas born, is nationally recognized for being a premier bowl game; the best of the best,” Chad Houser, Café Momentum Chef and Executive Director said. “As a young organization that started in Dallas but has national ambitions, it is incredibly inspiring and a tremendous honor for Cafe Momentum to be supported by the Cotton Bowl Foundation."
A third grant in the amount of $50,000 was awarded to DISD’s Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy (BOMLA) located in South Dallas. The Cotton Bowl Foundation’s gift ensures that all students at the school will have the opportunity to visit a college campus prior to graduating high school. The College Football Playoff Foundation added a matching grant of $50,000 that will go to offset other enrichment and exposure priorities.
The Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy’s mission is “to develop young men into impactful leaders through the development of their intellectual, moral, physical, social and emotion skills for the global society of tomorrow.” Adding college visits to the current College-Readiness Plan will help ensure that the academy’s campus maintains its 100-percent college acceptance and matriculation rates. The college visits are structured to meet the developmental needs of the school’s student body and promotes college readiness from 6-12th grades.
“This gift to the FRIENDS of BOMLA is a game changer because it supports transformative experiences in the lives of our students, “ Sophia Johnson, Board Chair of the FRIENDS of BOMLA said. “On behalf of the BOMLA family, I extend sincere thanks to the Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation. With your help, young leaders at Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy receive an academically rigorous, character-based education to help them achieve without limits.”
The final $20,000 was distributed as $1,000 grants to the Top 20 schools and community organizations that submitted the most artwork through the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Art Contest. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the contest which is open to students from first through sixth grade in North Texas. The student artists chosen as the winners within their respective age group will be honored at the Goodyear Big Play Luncheon on January 1st. The schools and organizations that received grants are as follows:
List of schools/organizations by order of most art contest entries received:
Arapaho Classical Magnet (Richardson ISD)
Golden Meadows Elementary (Garland ISD)
Colin Powell Elementary (Grand Prairie ISD)
Beaver Technology Center for Math & Science (Garland ISD)
Greenwood Hills Elementary (Richardson ISD)
John H. Reagan Elementary (Dallas ISD)
Julian T. Saldivar Elementary (Dallas ISD)
Charles A. Gill Elementary (Dallas ISD)
Mohawk Elementary (Richardson ISD)
Lakeland Christian Academy (Private)
Forestridge Elementary (Richardson ISD)
Janie Stark Elementary (Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD)
Riddle Elementary (Frisco ISD)
John F. Kennedy Learning Center (Dallas ISD)
Richardson Terrace Elementary (Richardson ISD)
Richardson Heights Elementary (Richardson ISD)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Arlington
Rockenbaugh Elementary (Carroll ISD)
Jill Stone Elementary at Vickery Meadow (Dallas ISD)
Bowie Elementary (Dallas ISD)
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