Crystal Charity Ball Grants Literacy Organization Catch Up & Read Nearly $1 Million
Susan Farris and Tucker Enthoven from Crystal Charity Ball recently presented the literacy organization Catch Up & Read (CAR) a check for nearly $1 million in grant funding to ensure CAR teachers in Dallas ISD and Richardson ISD have what they need to help students by ensuring they are reading at grade level by third grade.
“Crystal Charity Ball has made a significant difference in the lives of children in Dallas County for nearly 70 years and Catch Up & Read is deeply honored to be a 2020 beneficiary” said Catch Up & Read Founder Catherine LeBlanc. “We are grateful to the 100 Crystal Charity Ball members working tirelessly to raise funds to support Catch Up & Read. This gives thousands of children a solid foundation that enables them to break the cycle of poverty and become productive citizens of our great city.”
CAR will use the funds to continue its work in transforming the lives of at-risk elementary students in the southern sector of Dallas ISD by collaborating with schools, principals, and administrators to train teachers with research-based practices and provide tutoring for students who need it. On average, 90% of students who participate in CAR reach grade level within one year and advance at a rate that is three times that of their peers.
Through CAR, teachers receive approximately 100 hours of training on evidence-based literacy practices, data driven instruction, and trauma-informed strategies. They practice their newly acquired skills by tutoring the school’s lowest performing students – in English and Spanish – after school while receiving coaching and support from CAR’s staff. Students benefit from more than 70 hours of teacher-directed literacy intervention after school every year.
