The Kannapolis Education Foundation honored the Earnhardt family with the Friend of Education award in memory of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. at their 20th anniversary fundraising breakfast Tuesday.
The Earnhardt family, in turn, presented the foundation with a check for $5,000.
“If my father were here today, I know that he would be continuing to support the Kannapolis Education Foundation. Now that we are more aware of what you guys are doing, I know the Dale Jr. Foundation will continue to support you each year,” Kelley Earnhardt, vice president, business manager and co-owner of JR Motorsports, said.
Over the last 20 years, the Kannapolis Education Foundation and the Earnhardt family have partnered to provide classroom resources for Kannapolis City Schools.
It all began when the Kannapolis Education Foundation was founded in 1994 with a $30,000 donation from Dale Earnhardt Day in 1993. Since it’s inception, the foundation has donated more than $600,000 in iPads, school supplies and advanced scientific equipment to Kannapolis City Schools.
Earnhardt, a Kannapolis native, attended Kannapolis City Schools and wanted to provide a way to support the school system and provide it with tools for success.
The Kannapolis Education Foundation is strongly focused on technology in the classroom. So far, they have put $60,000 toward their goal of putting iPads in every Kannapolis City School classroom.
Students have used the iPads provided by the foundation to design racing machines for their BioMoto STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, challenge. BioMoto combines the science and technology of medicine with the engineering and math of racing. After students design the racing apparatus on the iPads, students are able to print them with the 3D printer at A.L. Brown High School.