On Wednesday it was announced that the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and the Dale Jr. Foundation will be teaming up to make a difference in the lives of local children.
Exciting news was revealed Wednesday at the Redskins' 56th annual Welcome Home Luncheon as it was announced that the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation is teaming up with the Dale Jr. Foundation to celebrate student achievement.
NASCAR star and diehard Redskins fan Dale Earnhardt Jr. is bringing his foundation together with the Redskins Charitable Foundation to make a difference in the lives of young people throughout the DMV area.
Together the two foundations will re-design and create a state of the art library at a local elementary school. The school will be selected from the more than 140 schools actively participating in the Redskins Read Program and will be based on the students' accomplishments in the program.
The Dale Jr. Foundation was established in 2007 and has raised more than $4.2 million to help those in need. Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday that his foundation works with about 80 charities a year, but supports roughly 300 different charities finanacially.
"I want to thank Dan [Snyder] for allowing me to be a part of that," Earnhardt Jr. said at the luncheon. "We're going to have boots on the ground. We're not just going to write a check. We're going to be in this together, helping to design this, helping to make the choices on this design."
"We are excited to join forces with the Dale Jr. Foundation to serve children in our community," WRCF executive director Jane Rodgers said. "This library redesign will create a fresh space for children to expand their love of reading."
On the track, Earnhardt Jr. has totaled 26 career victories, including two Daytona 500 wins. He's been a lifetime Redskins fan and visited the team at training camp earlier this summer. He talked Wednesday about how much of the vision for the Dale Jr. Foundation has been based on helping children, especially those in "under-served areas."
"The kids are going to love it when it's done," Earnhardt Jr. said. "They're going to have this library that's not just this boring place with a lot of books. It's going to be an interactive experience and it's going to encourage them to get in there and learn."
