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The mission of the Fort Worth Chamber Foundation, a 501 C3 non-profit organization, is to raise, manage and render financial support for key community initiatives, as identified through the Fort Worth Chamber's Strategic planning process. Funds for the Foundation support critical needs of public education, crime reduction, beautification and community planning.

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About the Chamber Foundation

The Fort Worth Chamber Foundation was incorporated on January 22, 1982 to receive and administer funds used exclusively for public education, crime reduction, beautification and strategic community planning.  With a Foundation Board of Trustees made up of community business leaders, this foundation has participated in several community related projects; Heritage Trails, Children’s Botanic Garden, Stay in School and FastTrac to name a few.

Recent Projects

• Adopt-A-Schools
  Chamber Area Councils help to fund various projects for an Adopt-A-School in their area. Visit all 5 Area Council pages for more details.

• Dunbar Middle School: Freedom Writers
  With the help of the Chamber Foundation, 600 students were able to see the movie, Freedom Writers. An essay contest was held and the students were asked to give their point-of-view about the movie and its reference to issues facing children today. Star-Telegram and Chamberletter stories are provided below for more info.

• Heritage Trails
  Historical markers will be placed around downtown to help preserve Fort Worth's colorful past. See Chamberletter story below for more details.

• Summer Science Camp at Texas Wesleyan University
  A hands on camp held for 125 students, kindergarten through 6th grade, provided cutting-edge curriculm through live rocket launches and take-home science projects.
  

Photos

• Dunbar Middle School students reading winning essays for Chamber staff
• Summer Science Camp at Texas Wesleyan University

Chamberletter stories

• Dunbar's Freedom Writers
• Heritage Trails

In the News

From the halls of Dunbar Middle School
By STAR-TELEGRAM

Dunbar Middle School students (photo by STAR TELEGRAM)

In February, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Foundation sponsored a trip to the movie Freedom Writers for seventh- and eighth-graders from Dunbar Middle School. Reading teacher Sefakor Amaa had started a Junior Freedom Writers program in two of her classes, but the field trip was for students who had not been introduced to the specialized teaching techniques of the Freedom Writers program.

In conjunction with the field trip, the Fort Worth Chamber Foundation conducted a writing contest for students who saw the movie. Here are the winners, as chosen by a panel of English teachers at Dunbar Middle School.

‘I didn’t want to die over a gang’
By MARIA NERIO
Eighth Grade

On February 8, 2007, the teachers and Mr. Jason Oliver took us to Freedom Writers. After the ending of that movie, I realized I had to change my behavior and attitude at school because I wasn’t going to get anywhere in life like that.

My life kind of related to [the character] Eva’s life. My dad was put in jail when I was young, but for a different reason. What Eva’s dad told her was something like my dad told me, when I was in the 7th grade and attended Rosemont Middle School, and I couldn’t step out of class before some drama popped in my face. I got jumped at least two times a week at the bus stop. I almost got in a gang, but my brother talked me out of it. He said, “It ain’t worth it, fighting for a color that ain’t yours, or owning a street that you don’t own, a hood that you don’t own, and sometimes you’ll get killed.”

I didn’t want to die over a gang. If I die, I want to leave behind something good, like my family looking up to me. I want to be the first in my family to go to college, so I decided to change.

Before I changed, I used to get in trouble every class period and was in the office more than 20 times a week. I cursed at all my teachers. Sometimes I cursed at them because I just wanted to get in trouble! But now that I have changed, I go to class every day, don’t get in trouble like I used to, and, to tell the truth, I feel great going to class and doing my work. But those are some of the positive ways I have changed in school.

‘I will try’
By TORRIN SADDLER
Eighth Grade

As I watched the movie Freedom Writers, my feelings changed quickly about how I treated people of a different race. I will try to start by making more Mexican friends than black friends. I know that if we keep on harassing other people from a different race, then racism will continue to grow and grow.

As for my school life changing, I will try to keep my grades up so I can go to college and be somebody. I will change my attitude about my schoolwork. I will do my work and ask questions when I need help. I will also change my attitude around teachers and other adults. I will change how I treat people of my own race, because if we can’t respect one another, who will respect us?

I will take the next step in my church life, like getting baptized and listen more to my pastor during church. Because I know that I can’t and won’t get anywhere in life without God guiding my path. I pray more now and read my Bible every night before I go to sleep. So the movie Freedom Writers really helped me improve my life, not only physically but mentally as well.

‘I have to let some of those things ... ease on by’
By MONIQUE BOWDY
SEVENTH Grade

“Life is not a fairy tale,” 2004 American Idol winner Fantasia said. I think I understand Fantasia’s comment. My life, as well as the lives of people I know personally, is not about “living happily ever after.” Life for me is about living today and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Like Fantasia, I have seen so much and experienced so many things in my short life. At school, I’ve watched conflicts between different cliques. At home, I’ve had family members die. I’ve had the whole nine yards, plus more. All of these things have affected me. When someone close to me died, I would feel sad, angry and abandoned. The littlest things would just irk me.

The movie Freedom Writers showed me how young people like me can work through our problems. I know that to be successful I have to let some of those things that irritate me ease on by.

I would like to make the world a better place. I know that I can’t change everyone’s perspective about life, but I would like to make a difference in my life, school and community.

Before watching the movie Freedom Writers, I was sort of a racist. I had different ethnic groups as friends, but I always wanted black to rule. I was kind of like the teens in the movie. I hung around the popular people. I didn’t like the geeks. Things like that.

After watching Freedom Writers, I was totally changed. I then believed that the key to doing well in school was to get along. It seems kind of funny, but I think it’s true. You can’t sit in a room with people who don’t like you and expect to stay focused on your work.

Furthermore, in life you can’t let dumb stuff get in the way of the things that really matter.

I won’t get caught up in the things that may damage my life or career. My life may not be a fairy tale, but I know I have the power to make it meaningful.

‘One 13-year-old boy can make a difference’
By KEELAN CALLAGHAN
SEVENTH Grade

I have a dream to do something for my community, a dream that I was inspired to realize from seeing Freedom Writers. But what can one 13-year-old kid do? I’ll need help and support, but for that support, I’ll need to do something by myself first, to have an effect on someone’s life so that they can have an effect on others. Once everyone is affected, we can start changing the community.

I dream of green grass and trash in the trash cans, not on the grass. I dream of a great school, where hundreds of kids are begging their parents to go. I envision that so many kids want to go to this school, and that so many families will want to live in this community, that the school has to reject 50 percent of the students, and that the city will have to build more than 1,000 houses. It will be a perfect community.

It will have a great effect on people. Having this good of a community might stop gang violence and drug use.

Neighboring communities would notice and start cleaning up and become great communities as well. Pretty soon, my community would become the epicenter of an international change. And it would all be because one 13-year-old kid cared about his community.

Just imagine the joy and happiness. Of course, then there might be too much joy and happiness, so international might not be great, but it could at least happen to one state. Even though it would take a lot of work, I know I can do it. I know I can start that epicenter. One 13-year-old boy can make a difference.

To read and see more about this story go to Star-Telegram.com and go to Opinions