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ARLINGTON, Texas \u2013 A surprise is even better when it’s live. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\nEspecially for Mentors Care<\/a>, a North Texas nonprofit with the mission to connect struggling high school students with mentors, tools and resources to help lead them toward graduation and purposeful lives.
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\nFor the third straight year, the Cotton Bowl Foundation kicked off North Texas Giving Day<\/a> in grand fashion, surprising Mentors Care with a $25,000 grant during the Aug. 28 live edition of WFAA-TV’s 4 p.m. newscast. The official foundation of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic helped jump-start the 2026 edition of the largest community-wide giving event in the nation on the day before the start of the 2026-27 college football season.
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\nCotton Bowl Athletic Association and Cotton Bowl Foundation Chair Monica Christopher unveiled the surprise in an interview conducted by WFAA-TV reporter Adriana De Alba with Mentors Care Managing Director Brian Blackwell and Communities Foundation of Texas Senior Director, Donor Engagement Melissa Hardage.
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\nThe Cotton Bowl Foundation surprised AT LAST! twice with $25,000<\/a> of its $50,000 grant awarded as part of its annual grants program during North Texas Giving Day 2024. Last year, the Foundation surprised HOPE Farm with $25,000<\/a> during the Aug. 14 edition of WFAA-TV Midday.
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\nThe Cotton Bowl Foundation has been an active participant and supporter of North Texas Giving Day since its inception in 2016. Since 2016, the Foundation has awarded more than $4.5 million in grants and financial support benefiting nonprofit organizations in the surrounding communities.
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\nFollow the Cotton Bowl Foundation and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on X\/Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n