Today, a group of Neighborhood Longhorns Program students, staff and friends visited Forestar for a pizza lunch and generous gifts including a $15,000 donation to support the program.
The celebratory lunch included a talk by DDCE Development Officer Vince Young, who shared stories about his experiences in school and discussed the importance of attaining a college degree.
Jim DeCosmo, president and chief executive officer of Forestar, talked to the students about Young’s remarkable achievements and shared insight into how they can conquer challenges in school by harnessing their inner strength. For a bonus homework assignment, he told them to look up the definitions for “grit,” “tenacity” and “resilience.”
The students, all fifth-graders at Allison Elementary, are too young to remember Young’s role in bringing the 2005 national championship to Texas, so the Forestar team provided them with newspaper clippings and magazine articles about his many achievements as a star Longhorns quarterback.
The generous donation will help the Neighborhood Longhorns Program serve more than 6,000 students in the 30 Austin Independent School District (AISD) schools. In partnership with AISD, the program serves economically disadvantaged youth (grades 2-8) who are at higher risk of experiencing academic difficulties.
Visit their website for more information. Read more about Forestar’s $15,000 contribution to the program for the 2013-14 academic year.
