Derrick Johnson (DJ), former Texas Longhorn and Chiefs linebacker, returned to Austin to launch the Defend the Dream Foundation in 2019. After a 13-year NFL career, DJ now focuses on creating opportunities for local youth to dream big through reading and learning. 📚🏈

📚𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸!📚 Help us honor the incredible educators who plant the seeds of curiosity, foster a love of reading, and empower children to grow into lifelong learners!

🤍🧡𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝘀—𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗩𝗣𝘀!🧡🤍

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁—𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺! Click here: givebox.com/521089

✨𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀? 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗙𝗨𝗡!✨ When reading feels like an adventure—not a chore—kids build confidence, curiosity, and a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

✨📚𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!📚✨ When kids read with friends, they laugh more, learn more, and build strong connections through stories. Whether it’s partner reading, book clubs, or story time on the rug—sharing books makes reading even more magical!

🤩𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻, 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟 𝗨𝗣!🤩 Reading isn’t just cool—it’s a superpower! Every book opens a new adventure, and every fact you learn makes your brain stronger. So grab a book, and let’s make learning the most exciting part of the day!

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘃𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻! 🧡🏈 At Defend the Dream, we’re teaming up to make reading 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦!🏈🧡

𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!📚✨ Through his Defend the Dream Foundation, he’s helping inner-city elementary school kids fall in love with reading and learning—one Discovery Den at a time!

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 @officialbookdays 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙬 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗳𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿!🌈🐠 Together, we’re inspiring young minds to discover the joy of books, one page at a time.📚✨

☀️📚𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹’𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗶𝗻 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲!📚☀️ Encourage young readers to explore, dream big, and keep those reading skills sharp all summer long.

𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲!✨📚 Perez Elementary is the latest school to receive a Discovery Den — thoughtfully paired with their Makerspace to spark curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning.💡🎨🔧

🏈🧡📚𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱.🏈🧡📚 🔗 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀. givebox.com/521089

🌈✨ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 — 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗨𝗡!🐠📚 That’s the joy of literacy in action. 🧡🤍

📚☀️ 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 — 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁!😎 What books are you or your kids diving into? Drop your favorites below and let’s inspire each other to read all summer long!

📚 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆!💪✏️ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to Derrick Johnson’s Defend the Dream Foundation—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀! 🏈🧡📚 givebox.com/521089

☀️📚𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 = 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 + 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀!📚☀️ Whether your little one is off to camp, hitting the beach, or dreaming big at bedtime, we’ve got the perfect book to spark imagination and build confidence. July's Reading List: facebook.com/share/p/16pyu7…

✨🇺🇸𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀!🇺🇸✨This Fourth of July, we’re celebrating the freedom to learn, grow and dream BIG! Every spark of imagination can grow into something amazing! 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆! ❤️🤍💙

📚🧡✨ 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲—𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆. 🔗 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲: givebox.com/521089

Our hearts are heavy after the tragedy in Central Texas. We’re praying for every child, family & neighbor affected — trusting that even in the darkest times, God is near. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1