July 15, 2019
Speedway Children’rary-on-wheels made possible by $10,000 grant from Speedway Children’s Charities Texass Charity Executive Director Marissa Chaney, Assistant to the Executive Director Taylor Wilson, Board President and City of Roanoke Mayor Carl “Scooter” Gierisch, Trustee Mary Anne Bailey and BTFW students open the mobile library at a ribbon cutting ceremony.
FORT WORTH, Texas– Breakthrough Fort Worth (BTFW) at Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is speeding into reading with its new mobile library, an educational tool made possible by a $10,000 grant from Speedway Children’s Charities Texas.
The whimsical three-cabinet rolling library will better meet students’ needs by providing fully usable storage with book selections that affirm their diverse cultural and socioeconomic identities. It will be a dedicated resource to empower students with improved reading comprehension and development in literature/writing skills. The impact of the gift will be felt for years to come as the BTFW program benefits nearly 200 students in grades 7-12 each year.
“The students named our previous library ‘the liability,’” said Joe Breedlove, executive director of Breakthrough Fort Worth. “The Speedway Charity Mobile Library has created an excitement and a mad rush among our students to be the first one to check out a book. Students now use their free time and structured time to gather around the library. All of which has increased their affinity for reading and knowledge. Speedway Charities one again receives the ‘checkered flag’ for their impact on our Breakthrough community. We are so thankful.”
BTFW embarked on a reading program three years ago with a gift of 268 books collected by past Teaching Fellow Jaki Molina. Now that the books have a home, a special section of the mobile unit will be named “The Jacki Molina Selections” to honor her role in starting the library.
BTFW is celebrating 26 years of supporting underserved youth. A collaboration among FWCD, the Breakthrough Collaborative and the Fort Worth Independent School District, BTFW advances at-promise students on a six-year path to college by building academic confidence, developing character-driven leadership skills and providing education about the college admission process.
Since 1997, Speedway Children’s Charities Texas has distributed more than $10 million in funding to nonprofit organizations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties supporting children in need. The funds are raised through special events that take place throughout the year, most of which are geared around the three major race weeks at Texas Motor Speedway.
ABOUT FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY
Since 1963, Fort Worth Country Day has inspired the passion to learn, the courage to lead and the commitment to serve through a program that fosters the intellectual, physical, emotional and ethical development of its students. Situated on 100 acres in southwest Fort Worth, Fort Worth Country Day’s 220 faculty/staff members lead and teach grades JK-12. Offering a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum, Fort Worth Country Day focuses on the 3A’s—academics, arts and athletics—to bring balance to students’ experiences, provide opportunities to explore multiple interests and thrive in a compassionate community.
