NEC Corporation of America’s Foundation places its 2023 focus on health and education
IRVING, TX (USA) – September 20, 2023 – NEC Foundation of America (NEC Foundation), the charitable giving subsidiary of NEC Corporation of America (NEC), today announced a joint literacy event in cooperation with the Dallas Education Foundation (DEF), Catch Up & Read (CAR) and Dallas ISD’s Marcus Leadership Academy. Coinciding with North Texas Giving Day on Thursday, September 21, 9 a.m. at Marcus Leadership Academy, the event will highlight the work CAR has done to help advance literacy at the school, as well as serve as the unveiling of a new Dallas Education Foundation book vending machine. Both programs are sponsored in part by NEC Foundation of America.
“NEC Foundation is proud to provide grants for dynamic, education-focused organizations like the Dallas Education Foundation and Catch Up & Read,” said Crystal DuBois, Executive Director, NEC Foundation of America. “Partnering with these organizations to support a community-focused, data-driven approach to literacy speaks directly to our core principles as a foundation. We are beyond thrilled to celebrate the collective effort it takes to advance academic success for Dallas youth.”
NEC Foundation proudly helps sponsor Catch Up & Read’s program on Marcus Leadership Academy’s campus, supporting training for teachers as well as teacher-led after school tutoring for high need elementary students. The groundbreaking literacy program successfully grew 93% of their students’ reading achievement across 18 Dallas ISD schools in the last school year.
“Thanks to NEC’s consistent funding for the past 7 years, hundreds of Catch Up & Read students at Marcus Leadership Academy now have the reading foundation they need to succeed in school and life,” said Carol Goglia, President & CEO of Catch Up & Read. “Until third grade, children are learning to read, but after that must know how to read in order to learn other subjects. That’s why investment in the early grades matter. We’re honored that NEC has invested in Catch Up & Read’s work to grow the confidence and results of both students and teachers.”
The non-profit, philanthropic partner of Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD), the Dallas Education Foundation is one of NEC Foundation of America’s newest grantees. DEF is on a mission to galvanize the community, spreading resources across Dallas ISD to help transform access to education for students. NEC Foundation of America is supporting their work through the sponsorship of five book vending machines across Dallas ISD elementary school campuses with the highest need, as well as their home library program for students.
“We know that one of the primary ways to advance literacy is for our scholars to have access to culturally relevant and self-selected books in their homes,”said Mita Havlick, Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation. “Our foundation is always seeking innovative ways to get the right books in the hands and homes of our students. Our book vending machine initiative does just that. We are excited for Marcus Leadership Academy to have been selected as a recipient of this gift, and we are deeply grateful to NEC Foundation for their continued support of Dallas ISD and Marcus Leadership Academy, and their commitment to literacy for all students.”
Supporting both programs on the campus of Marcus Leadership Academy was a natural choice for NEC Foundation, as it has volunteered with and donated to campus programs for many years. The school, gearing up for a new campus next fall, serves over 630 students and offers bi-lingual and general instruction from Pre-K through 5th grade.
For more information about this event, please contact Crystal DuBois at crystal.dubois@necam.com.
About NEC Foundation of America
NEC Foundation of America is the charitable giving subsidiary of NEC Corporation of America (NEC), a leading technology integrator providing solutions that improve the way people work and communicate. Founded in 1991, NEC Foundation of America’s mission is to contribute to the creation of social value and help advance human potential through technology and innovative giving programs. For more information, please visit necfoundation.org/about.
About Dallas Education Foundation
The Dallas Education Foundation (DEF) is a registered 501(c)(3) and serves as the direct and designated philanthropic partner of Dallas ISD. With a mission to inspire community investment to accelerate student success, our vision is a galvanized community whose resources support the transformative work that makes Dallas ISD the preferred choice for families across North Texas.
Aligning with the district’s strategic initiatives, DEF has granted more than $5 million over the last three years for the benefit of our Dallas ISD students, teachers, and schools, focusing on economic mobility by supporting early learning, advancing literacy, driving post-secondary success, and catalyzing our educators. To learn more, go to https://dallasedfound.org and follow us @dallasedfound on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About Catch Up and Read
Since 2009, Catch Up & Read (CAR) has been on a mission to equip children to read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade so they can graduate from high school and break the generational cycle of poverty. Their focus is to equip teachers with evidence-based literacy practices that give 1st-3rd grade children from underserved communities the reading foundation they need to succeed in school and life. Catch Up & Read currently works with 20 Title I elementary schools in Dallas County, training over 150 teachers and providing teacher-directed tutoring for approximately 750 1st-3rd grade students.
Every week CAR trains a cohort of classroom teachers with the skills they need to provide students with the highest caliber of research-based classroom instruction. CAR is different because of its investment in teachers–giving deep professional development throughout the year and paying stipends to stay afterschool to tutor children which gives more income to teachers and better outcomes for students. CAR is also the only after-school program that provides tutoring in both English and Spanish. CAR’s model has the capacity to reach large numbers of children and provide lasting improvement to public schools. CAR believes in the power of literacy to transform lives and communities.
About Dallas ISD
The Dallas Independent School District is continually preparing its more than 141,000 students for college or a career. The district offers a competitive mix of innovative programs, choice programs and instructional initiatives that support the increased academic achievement and the social and emotional development of its students. To learn more, visit www.dallasisd.org.
