About
VISION
Our vision is a world where all children have access to artistic expression and nurturing for success.
MISSION
The mission of the Thank You Darlin’ Foundation is to help marginalized youth fortify essential literacy skills for navigating academic and social challenges.
OUR HISTORY
TYDF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit that promotes youth literacy through poetry, storytelling, and media. Through a March 2006 collaboration with the Fort Worth Library and Keller Independent School District’s Fossil Hill Middle School, TYDF launched a poetry program. Subsequent partnerships with the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) via its Fort Worth After School program (FWAS) allowed us to implement our youth enrichment programs in 30-plus North Texas public schools, enhancing the lives of hundreds of vulnerable youth.
AUDIENCE SERVED
We aim to encourage disadvantaged youth to thrive. Most of our participants are Latino and African American and attend Title 1 schools where 40% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Also, many of the participants we serve lack adult supervision during out-of-school times and struggle with low literacy. In Fort Worth, 33% of students did not pass the state assessment reading exam. Research shows a correlation between low literacy and dropout tendency, heightening risks for negative encounters with police, and promoting the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Data demonstrates juvenile offenders are three times as likely as the rest of the population to lack literacy skills. According to FWISD, our program produces several positive outcomes, including providing creative self-expression outlets, promoting social and emotional well-being, and keeping students focused on developing their assets and resilience.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- TYDF poetry curriculum noted for Best Practices by Texas A & M University evaluators.
- We received the Outstanding Service Provider Award from the FWISD FWAS program.
- We earned recognition for excellence from Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.
- We published eight poetry anthologies of original poems written by children and teens.
- We’ve produced annual citywide poetry slams for 13-plus years.
- Our award-winning Voice2Youth program for promoting the arts and literacy has been implemented in 30-plus public schools.
- TYDF’s activities helped to keep hundreds of vulnerable youth and their communities safe from juvenile delinquency and crime.
OUR GOALS
- To provide access to the arts for people in diverse marginalized communities.
- To develop audiences for poetry and other art genres.
- To strengthen writing, reading, and public speaking skills to help youth navigate academic and social challenges.
- To provide educational support that combats risk factors associated with academic failure and juvenile crime.
- To increase cultural, environmental, and self-awareness to broaden perspectives and compassion.
