ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation teamed up once again to make it a Big Day for Teachers during the 2024 edition of Extra Yard for Teachers Week, awarding a total of $200,000 to four organizations dedicated to supporting teachers, educators and students in the North Texas community.
This year’s celebration, inside the home of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium, provided the perfect backdrop to extend grants of $50,000 each to Catch Up & Read, The Educator Collective, Principal Impact Collaborative at UNT Dallas and United to Learn. The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and CFP Foundation made it an extra special big day for the four organizations providing Classic-branded backpacks filled with gifts and Extra Yard for Teachers bags filled with EYFT-branded gifts. The backpacks for the four educators representing the organizations included an even more extra special gift, each receiving two tickets each to the 2025 CFP Semifinal at the 89th Classic set for Friday, Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium.
“Today is such a fun day because it’s about supporting our community and supporting days like this. It’s about supporting organizations like these in our North Texas community,” said Gillian Breidenbach, Board Member, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and Cotton Bowl Foundation. “We couldn’t be prouder to support these organizations because we truly believe that we are about more than just a game.”
“What makes the Cotton Bowl Classic really unique in the work it does for educators and teachers is the 20-plus organizations that the game and Cotton Bowl Foundation have given grant dollars. There’s no other bowl game that’s doing that kind of organic, authentic reach,” said Natalie Jenkins representing the CFP Foundation. “These organizations we are recognizing here today are in there doing the real work to support these educators and teachers. We are so grateful to work with the Cotton Bowl Foundation to identify these amazing organizations in the DFW area and be able to support them.”
The four organizations recognized this year tackle different aspects of the educational support space but share the common thread of providing learning and leadership opportunities to teachers and educators to put them in the best positions possible to guide their students to have success in the classroom and life.
Catch Up & Read is a nonprofit, community-funded organization that is transforming the lives of at-risk elementary students in the Dallas Independent School District by equipping them to read on grade level by third grade. The organization collaborates with teachers, principals and administrators on an instruction and tutoring program that drives extraordinary and sustainable results.
“The support from the Cotton Bowl Foundation and the College Football Playoff Foundation has been instrumental in advancing Catch Up & Read’s work to build confident readers and teachers,” said Carol Goglia, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catch Up & Read. ” We’re honored to receive support another year from the Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation to continue our life-changing work across North Texas.”
The Educator Collective is a professional community made up of teachers and other education professionals from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area that provides opportunities to grow in three areas of focus – community, leadership, and well-being – and gives teachers the resources and relationships needed to build lasting and accomplished careers in education.
“We are thankful for the investment of the Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation which allows us to amplify our efforts, ensuring that every teacher feels supported and valued and every student has the opportunity to learn,” said Ruthie Umberger, Executive Director, The Educator Collective, ” Together, we are committed to creating a brighter future by standing in support behind those who shape it – our educators.”
The Principal Impact Collaborative at the University of North Texas at Dallas supports elite public school principals to drive impactful change. Its innovative, two-year fellowship program is designed to connect experienced North Texas area principals with like-minded peers, reignite their passion for the work and provide them with the tools and resources to set and execute a vision to improve their respective campuses.
“The support of the Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation empowers us to further our mission of developing and retaining bold, equity-driven, and innovative education leaders who are instrumental in strengthening our communities across North Texas,” said Alejandra Barbosa, Executive Director, Principal Impact Collaborative at UNT Dallas. “Together, we are investing in a future where great leaders create great schools, which creates greater opportunities for student socio-economic mobility. We extend our deepest gratitude to both foundations for their invaluable partnership and generous contribution.”
United to Learn is an education nonprofit with a proven model for mobilizing community partners to close opportunity gaps among Dallas-area public elementary schools and awareness gaps across the community, accelerate student achievement and develop purposeful leaders.
“United to Learn is allocating this funding from Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation toward ensuring every teacher and every student in Dallas ISD has the classroom resources to start the year off strong,” said Abigail Williams, Chief Executive Officer, United to Learn. “We step in where public dollars stop and ask teachers what they need to accelerate student achievement. We have been able to outfit classrooms with cozy reading corners, leveled libraries, math games, new books and so much more. When community partners and schools come together, we ensure that every child is set up for success.”
The Cotton Bowl Foundation and CFP Foundation have been partners in helping teachers be successful inside and outside of classrooms for more than a decade. The CFP Foundation is the largest sports entity in America that supports education as its primary platform. Since its inception, the CFP Foundation and its Extra Yard for Teachers platform have collectively invested more than $80 million to support educators. The CFP Foundation has supported more than 550,000 teachers nationwide, creating a positive impact for more than 12 million students. The Big Day for Teachers, a part of Extra Yard for Teachers Week, is the largest single-day effort of community impact by the extended college football family.
The Cotton Bowl Foundation, the official foundation of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, serves North Texas by supporting programs that improve opportunities for underserved youth with the vision of making an impact on those who play the game, attend the game and support the game. Since 2016, the Cotton Bowl Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in grants and financial support benefiting non-profit organizations in the surrounding communities.
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