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Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/138854
SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY LEFT: Dwyane Wade hopes to encourage fathers to build relationships with their children. BELOW: His sister Tragil is WWF's executive director. continued from page 64 only way to fix it is to stick together and create this family where we're showing them constantly that we care." One way WWF does this is through its hands-on literacy initiative, which Tragil is most proud of. In partnership with By The Hand Club For Kids (SEE SIDEBAR), WWF has gathered more than 18,000 books for public schools in Chicago and Miami-Dade and launched an iPad reading lab in Cabrini-Green earlier this year. "We've found that jails are being built based off of [inmates being at] a third grade reading level," says Tragil. "Statistically, if our youth are not reading and [do] not have that literacy by third or fourth grade, their future is already looking dim." Tragil remains hopeful that she and her brother can continue to blaze a trail to show children that their futures are brighter and, in turn, to curb violence. "My dreams are for —TRAGIL WADE [youth] to continue to fight through difficult issues that they're having day after day, and I know the underserved communities because that's where we came from," she says. "I not only had to deal with days where I was hungry and days when my mom wasn't home, but I also dealt with days where there were shootings outside, days that there were guns at my head, and drug situations that were surrounding us." As he rises to NBA superstardom, Wade is excited about the next 10 years of his foundation. "We hope to continue to encourage kids in the areas of literacy and [work] with fathers to build stronger relationships with their children. There's a lot going on—and a lot of it isn't always positive in our community these days—but you can't let go of your dream," he says. "I want to show kids from Chicago that they can make it, too. They can live their dreams and, while doing that, give back and not forget where they came from." W3 Weekend runs September 5–8. Visit wadesworldfoundation.org for more information. MA 062-067_MA_SP_SpiritofGen_SUMMER13.indd 66 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB METELUS (YOUTH SUMMIT) "The only way to fix [violence] is to stick together and create this family where we're showing [youth] that we care." 6/19/13 11:27 AM