This project seems the ideal intersection of both your professional experiences. What were the challenges to adapt your different professional backgrounds to this series?
Yes, with our backgrounds in elementary education and coaching it did seem like a natural outlet. We wanted to bring our experiences into the books. The biggest challenge was creating stories and using vocabulary that would connect with young readers.
How do these books fit into—or represent—the larger ministry of the Dungy Family Foundation?
Our foundation really has a heart for young people. One of the pillars of our Mission Statement is our desire to stimulate educational growth, especially with young people. We feel that anything we can do to encourage reading at a young age is beneficial. Our Foundation also wants to help people see the love of Christ. We believe that instilling Christian principles and values and our young people is important. While our books are not overtly Christian, they are all written based on biblical principles.
Would you share with us about the ministry of The Dungy Family Foundation?
We started the organization as a way to give back to the communities where our family has lived. We primarily focus in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St Paul, Indianapolis, and Tampa. We have family who live in those cities and we try to help organizations that are already in place. We look to support organizations that are helping meet educational, emotional, and spiritual needs in the community-especially those of young people and the underserved.
Click through to discover how the Dungys became active in the foster parent community…