Literacy is essential to education yet one in five Houstonians is functionally illiterate. The Under Our Wing Literacy Program has teamed up with Haley Carter and Stephanie Ochs, current players from the Houston Dash, and local organizations to encourage literacy, character building, and environmental stewardship among the youth of our community, during the three-part Valentine’s week event, A Dash to Remember.

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Dr. Hoots, Stephanie Ochs, Gabriel Garcia, and Haley Carter cheering up the kiddos during #ADashToRemember at Texas Children's Hospital. (Photo: Under Our Wing)

“Under Our Wing does a great job at teaching our kids how to give back and how to feel proud about the activities they do.” – Alex Rodriguez, Youth Enrichment Specialist at the Houston Area Women’s Center

In 2016, this community outreach proved that there is power in teamwork. Awards by Allstar, a leading source for custom-engraved awards for recognizing achievement, is back as an event sponsor. They are joined by volunteer partners, C.HAIR.I.TEE, who will be donating accessories handmade from recycled t-shirts, and Reach Youth Global, a group that empowers impoverished youth. These great organizations are teaming up with PLAN Lending, your one-stop for mortgage lending solutions, Architectural Fabricators, who bring you high-quality custom gates and fences, ProActivo, the source for risk management consulting, and a criminal defense attorney for Brazoria and Harris County, Phil Morin Law Firm, PLLC. Along with media partners, CBS Radio Houston, Mega TV, Telemundo, and EV Houston, and caring sponsors like Delta Dental, TRI Contracting, and Misti Rel Therapy, these companies are determined to express their passion for making a positive impact in our community through this collaborative literacy initiative.

A Dash to Remember directly impacts children in Houston with interactive games and live readings from the award-winning dual language children’s series, Avian Kingdom: Feathered Tales. Part one of the event, at the Houston Area Women's Center, engages and empowers at-risk youth as they decorate Valentine’s cards and create Valentine’s gift packets for children in the hospital. During part two of the event, the handmade Valentine’s cards are delivered to the hospital by the Avian Kingdom team, Dash and Dynamo players, and local volunteers. Under Our Wing is donating over 2200 books so the children, their siblings, and their parents can enjoy a fun afternoon with their heroes. This is the largest donation of new books in the history of Texas Children’s Hospital. In the third part of the event, the Avian Kingdom team delivers free books and activities to the families in the local homeless community at the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen.

Date: February 14th, 2016Organization: Under Our WingEPK: http://EPK.AvianKingdom.com

Under Our WingKyndra Joyce, 713-774-4117 Ext. 94k.joyce@UnderOurWings.org