Community Events

Doctor Mark Cooper, professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Special Education at the University of Central Arkansas, Licensed Professional Counselor, Director of the Mashburn Center for Learning and co-founder of Chicks for Children Foundation, Inc. the founder of the Chicks for Children Foundation, was happy to announce that Chicks for Children Foundation is a recipient of the Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Award. The foundation expectation is to support an effort for an education team to develop educational activities designed to help kids make a difference in the lives of kids at the local and global levels.

The True Inspiration Awards, which range in amounts from $10,000 to $100,000, were granted to 25 organizations across the country based on local community impact in three categories:

· Emerging Leader Development: Organizations focused on character development, positive community and cultural involvement and effective civic engagement

· Youth Entrepreneurship: Organizations committed to developing business knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy

· Innovative Education: Organizations dedicated to improving teaching and learning through ground-breaking practices and visionary leadership

Organizations either applied or were nominated by Chick-fil-A restaurant franchisees based on the organization’s local work in the three categories. The Chick-fil-A Foundation evaluated the caliber of each organization’s work in these categories as well as their operational health, financial stability and transparency. The 25 inaugural award winners will be honored at a celebratory event in Atlanta this fall.

“Every 26 seconds a student drops out of high school in the United States,” said Rodney Bullard, executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. “We want to invest in youth at an early age as well as the organizations that are empowering students to dream big and ensure lifelong success,” he said.  “This is just one way that we are honoring the legacy of our founder, S. Truett Cathy, who dedicated his life to serving his community and helping young people.”

In addition to these categories, one winning organization was recognized as a True Inspiration Honoree, a special honor reserved for an organization or individual that embodies the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of Truett Cathy. The recipient of this inaugural award is the Keith Boyd Foundation. Boyd, a 10-year-old small business owner with nonverbal cerebral palsy and no use of his arms, legs, or mouth, is using his Tulsa-based lemonade stands to raise awareness and resources for his tuition-free special needs alma mater.

To learn more about the True Inspiration Awards and view a complete list of recipients, visit their website.

“I simply wanted those who I work closest with and who I work for to know about this exciting opportunity to build our circle of influence,” founder Mark Cooper said, “I champion the effort to champion struggling learners first and foremost as a faculty member in the Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education and more importantly as the Director of the Mashburn Center for Learning. It just so happens I founded Chicks for Children Foundation. They all work in harmony and enhance one another. ”  Cooper asks for everyone to visit his website to review their mission goals. 

The Chick-fil-A® Foundation is the corporate foundation of Chick-fil-A, Inc. A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation’s purpose is to lead the company’s commitment to support youth and education in Chick-fil-A’s local communities. The Foundation’s work is focused on developing and educating young people so they can build a positive legacy and become all they were created to be. For more information, visit www.chick-fil-afoundation.org

Chicks for Children is also as strong as the team of project partners. A foundational principle of Chicks for Children involves the identification of partnerships that value giving funds to support our efforts to reduce hunger and poverty and build lasting relationships.

The partners in the states include public schools, parochial schools, churches, businesses, corporations, organizations, and individuals. At the present time, our global partner includes the Seeds mission ministry operated by Pastor Richard and Hellen Makani. Local partners are determined by the local efforts initiative and instituted across the country. At the present time, there have been efforts in a variety of states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Colorado.