The Cotton Bowl Foundation announced the awarding of $375,000 in grants to six charitable organizations that positively impact the lives of children, adults, and families in the North Texas community.
The six organizations extended 2022-23 grants were Behind Every Door ($100,000), Mentors Care ($100,000), OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation ($75,000), Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute ($50,000), Grant Halliburton Foundation ($25,000) and Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation ($25,000)
“The commitment we make through our Cotton Bowl Foundation is a significant and meaningful part of our efforts annually to uplift our community,” said Dave Brown, Chairman, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “Each of these organizations strives every day to make positive impacts in the lives of families from all walks of life. We are thankful that we can do our part to support their missions and goals and continue to be a champion for our community.”
Behind Every Door
The $100,000 grant awarded to Behind Every Door is being used to support development of an eight-acre property that will include a 20,000-square-foot community center, a 4,000-square-foot church building and a full-size football field in the Cedar Crest area, in the South Oak Cliff community, in Dallas.
“Behind Every Door is running community centers with our Five E Framework to create spaces for personal and family transformation,” said Darrion Lewis, Behind Every Door President. “We partner with organizations in the community, like the Cotton Bowl Foundation, to bring intentional programs ranging from recreational programs for school-age children to bingo events for senior citizens. Life-to-life relationships with people in the community are our heart and identifying the pathways to thriving is our aim.”
Mentors Care
The $100,000 grant awarded to Mentors Care, one of the largest grants received in the organization’s history, is going to support its mission to aid high school students in suburban and rural areas who are considered to be at risk of failing or not graduating due to poor academic performance and put them on a better path for success inside and outside of the classroom.
“Mentors Care is a growing, vibrant program with a strong record of changing lives for the better,” said Dena Petty, Mentors Care Founder and Director. “We are growing across North Texas and the Cotton Bowl Foundation’s grant is vital to our continued growth. This will help us continue to serve with excellence and help people in our surrounding communities say ‘Yes!’ to mentoring.”
Petty has a unique connection to the Cotton Bowl Classic. Her son Bryce led Baylor to the 79th Classic on Jan. 1, 2015. He threw for a career-high 550 yards and earned J. Curtis Sanford Offensive Most Valuable Player honors in his Bears’ 42-41 setback to Michigan State. After his National Football League playing career, Bryce served a term on the Cotton Bowl Council.
OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
The $75,000 grant awarded to the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is targeted to purchase and retrofit a new mobile vehicle with state-of-the-art optical equipment to service tens of thousands of patients in hard-to-reach communities.
“On behalf of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, I want to thank the Cotton Bowl Foundation for its generous grant,” said Becky Palm, OneSight Essilor Luxottica Foundation Vice President and Executive Director. “This investment in the future of North Texas will help fuel the potential of thousands of students who need glasses but have no other way to get them. Together, we are helping North Texas see more and be more.”
Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute
The $50,000 grant awarded to Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute is being put to use to support a number of its literacy programs to fight educational inequality and the learning gap in the organization’s efforts to help students reach grade-level proficiency or above in math and reading.
“Every child is born with potential, but not all receive the same opportunities or resources,” said Charnella Derry, Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute President/Co-Founder. “We are honored to be a 2022-23 Cotton Bowl Foundation grant recipient. This investment in academic achievement today will create lifelong returns for Dallas students and their communities.”
Grant Halliburton Foundation
The $25,000 grant awarded to the Grant Halliburton Foundation is earmarked to combat mental health issues in North Texas, specifically in Dallas County, and support the Hope Squad program that gives students peer-to-peer training to recognize the warning signs in depressed or suicidal peers and empower them to report those signs to an adult.
“We’re honored to be chosen as a 2022-23 grant recipient by the Cotton Bowl Foundation,” said Kevin Hall, Grant Halliburton Foundation President. “This is a wonderful validation of Grant Halliburton Foundation’s mission to strengthen the network of mental health resources for children, teens and young adults, promote better mental health and help prevent suicide. This generous gift will allow the Foundation to ensure that more young people in the Dallas area have the opportunity to grow up to lead mentally healthy, productive lives.”
Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation
The $25,000 grant awarded to the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation is going to support its Hope Squad program in Tarrant County and provide suicide prevention training and education for children and adults, as well as depression research funding.
“The Cotton Bowl Foundation and its generous gift allow us to continue to spread our life-saving work in the North Texas area, as it supports our Hope Squad program, a suicide prevention program for schools that currently serves over 100,000 students in our community,” said Matt Vereecke, Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “The Cotton Bowl Foundation is ensuring that the friends, teachers and parents of those students can sleep better at night, and on behalf of all of them, we are so very grateful for the support.”
About the Cotton Bowl Foundation
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 $2 million in grants and financial support benefiting non-profit organizations in the surrounding communities.
