September 13, 2016 – DURHAM, NC – Summer was at an end and My Roots Foundation brought together a 40-year-old family business and a group of young girls for an extraordinary experience.

The girls are with a non-profit group called The Creative SWAG.  These kids, about 18 girls, all live in a government housing project in Chapel Hill. They love their community and they volunteer on a regular basis to help elderly women at a local nursing home.  They get together for study time and encourage each other to do well in school and to give back to their community. My Roots Foundation is joining with Creative Swag to teach the girls how to collect oral histories and preserve some of the stories they hear at the nursing home.

Earlier in the year we interviewed B-Bar Farms about their family history and the generations that have been enjoying horseback rides over the last 40 years. During our interview with owner and operator, Carolyn Wilson, we mentioned the girls and Carolyn instantly said ‘let’s get them out here.’

Through the incredible generosity of the folks at B-Bar Farms including Todd Flowers, and a host of wonderful volunteers, we had an incredible outing on September 17, 2016 with the girls. They toured the farm, got to brush and pet the horses and take a 20 to 30-minute ride in the coral. In addition to interacting with the horses, the girls got to see and hear firsthand about a local family owned business and how the history of this business has inspired so many in the community.  The event opened their minds to explore the strength of family and community.

About My Roots Foundation

My Roots Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. Our mission is to promote awareness of family history.  We do this through Discovering, Preserving, and Sharing of family histories because we believe that all stories, big and small, should be shown respect. For more information, please see www.myrootsfoundation.com.

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history” – Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, (December 1875 – April 1950)