A big shout-out to 6th grade.  We will miss you as you begin a new journey into middle school. You represented the Dragon Community well and we loved watching you all these years from flag to now.  

A special Thank You to 6th Grade Head Coaches:

• Mark Austin
• Willie Pile
• Rudy Renda

You and your coaching staff spent countless hours preparing these boys for practices, games and life events.  We thank you for your time, support and love of these young men and future leaders.  

Dragon Youth Football has spend that past few years putting the foundation in place to lead from the front when it comes to supporting our community.  We are blessed to live in a community like Southlake and excited to have opportunities to make an impact in our community.  Currently, we are involved in the following programs: 

Adopt a Street Program

• Road #35 (Kimball Ave from Crooked Lane to 1709)
• Adopt-a-Street is a program that allows organizations, businesses, groups, families and individuals to adopt and maintain areas within the Southlake community.  Southlake is growing, and a surging population means more cars on the roadways and unfortunately, more trash.  Volunteer efforts reduce litter cleanup costs and save taxpayers money.  Through-out the year, you will see DYF and Dragon Football players, coaches, cheerleaders and families volunteering to keep Southlake beautiful. 

DYF Scholarship Program 

• DYF has created a scholarship fund to recognize graduating CISD Seniors who are DYF Alumni, DYC Alumni, Carroll Dragon Football Players, Carroll Cheerleaders and Emerald Belles who represent the Dragon Way.  This program is funded privately through our DYF / DYC families / family owned businesses and does not use Registration Fees or Sponsorship Funds. 

DYF Charities

• Each year, DYF chooses a charity or a cause to support.  In past years, we partnered with Batten Hope which is an amazing story that will deeply touch anyone who gets involved.  https://battenhope.org  

We are reaching out today about an opportunity to support our community and make an impact on our high school graduates as they embark in the next chapter of their lives.  This subject is dear to many of us as we’ve watched close friends and family members struggle to send their kids to college and not get the assistance needed from the programs that are in place to do so.  

Why are things so difficult today?  In the early 2000's, college students especially those at public universities, could rely on generous state and institutional aid to keep their out-of-pocket costs low.  As state aid faced cuts in the last decades, scholarships and grants became the single biggest piece of the average student's funding.  For more information, see Sallie Mae’s 2016 How America Pays for College report. 

Every student’s situation is unique, but one thing is all too common: a large financial gap that must be filled with parental contributions or student loans.  This gap is why scholarships are more important than ever.

At a recent Scholarship America event, Jamie Merisotis, President & CEO of the Lumina Foundation, discussed the impact of scholarships.  He received a variety of funds for school that ranged from Pell Grants to state scholarships. “The most important piece of that equation,” he said, “was that scholarship I received from that Dollars for Scholars chapter in Manchester, Connecticut, because that scholarship represented my community. It represented the people that I was accountable to, and it made a real difference in my life.” The personal scholarship support does more than pay some bills - it instills a greater sense of belonging and motivation to make it through higher education.  

We are excited that in 2019, Dragon Youth Football and Dragon Youth Cheer offered four $1,000 college scholarships to Carroll graduating high school seniors who excelled in academics, athletics and/or leadership from the following programs:

• Dragon Varsity Football Program
• Dragon Varsity Cheer Program
• Southlake Carroll Varsity Emerald Belles
• Past Participants in Dragon Youth Football / Dragon Youth Cheer

While this was a great start, we do not want this to be a one-time event and we also know that we can do better.  We would like to be able to give more awards each year and even increase the award amount.  The key is to build a solid foundation of support and over time and showcase the impact that this program has on our community.

You can make a contribution to this great program here:  DYF/DYF Scholarship Program or visit www.dragonyouthfootball.net

If you have any questions please reach out to scholarships@dragonyouthfootball.net

Thank you for your consideration and generosity towards this great program that makes a positive impact in our community.   

Dragon Youth Football
Dragon Youth Cheer