COMMUNITY SERVICE— CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 Tommie Vaughn Ford Dealers Kirby Janke and Kyle Janke are pictured with Trophies that were awarded at the Bronco Outdoor Adventure Rally for Best of Show, Best Paint, Best Extreme Offroad, Best Display, and Best Lighting. The Ford Motor Company Fund and the North Texas Ford Dealers have a long history of community involvement, working to empower Texans to make their lives better and strengthen the communities where they live. On Aug. 29, 2022, Elena Ford, Ford Motor Company Chief Customer Experience Officer, the Ford Fund, and the North Texas Ford dealers working with the nonprofit First Book hosted an event at David Crockett Elementary in Weatherford to increase access to books, North Texas Ford Dealers boost opportunities for literacy and encourage STEAM education for children in underserved communities. Literacy Instruction for Texas believes that in 12 years, more than one million people — 30 percent of Dallas County’s projected population — could be illiterate. The issue becomes even more urgent in light of Texas workforce projections that suggest over the next decade, most jobs in the state will require strong STEAM skills. Texas is expected to have the second-highest percentage of future STEAM job opportunities in the nation. To help bridge the literacy gap, the initiative hosted today includes: Distribution of STEAM-related books. The Ford Fund began working with First Book in 2015 to provide books to youth across the U.S. By the end of 2022, the Ford Fund will have invested over $750,000 and delivered more than 145,000 books in Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Kansas City, Puerto Rico and San Antonio. Hands-on participation in literacy events and other activities to engage students and encourage a love of reading and interest in the subjects of STEAM Dallas-Fort Worth nonprofit Harvest Project Food Rescue brought its Ford mobile library, a retrofitted Ford Transit van designed to deliver fresh produce and books throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The vehicle was donated by North Texas Ford Dealers and has delivered food for 4,500 local families since June of this year. 32
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