Join the CRS Delegation to the 26th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival
Calling all North Alabama High School Seniors & Juniors!
About the Experience
Register Your Family

HBCU Festival Delegation 2026

Children Read Succeed is taking North Alabama students and their parents to the 24th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) HBCU Festival in Springfield, Virginia.

Mandatory parent meeting: Monday, October 26, 2026, 7:00 PM Central, on Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 838 3762 8645
Passcode: 926192
Join by phone (one tap): +1 312 626 6799 (US, Chicago) or +1 646 931 3860 (US)

About the festival

More than 70 colleges attend, many offering on-the-spot admission decisions, application fee waivers, scholarships, and music auditions, plus free seminars for students and parents. In 2025 the festival reported more than 12,000 attendees, 1,913 onsite admission decisions, and over $8.1 million in scholarships and waived fees.

Key dates

  • Monday, October 26: mandatory parent meeting, 7:00 PM Central, on Zoom (join details above).
  • Friday, October 30: mentors commit.
  • Monday, November 2: mentors paired with students.
  • Friday, November 6: each student's binder audited and signed off by their assigned Committee Mentor.
  • Friday, November 13: virtual festival session, 3 to 7 PM Central.
  • Saturday, November 14: in-person festival at The St. James, 6805 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA 22151. CRS will be onsite 8 AM to 4:30 PM Eastern.

Travel

How we travel depends on how many people commit. If about 26 to 27 families commit and fill a motorcoach, the group goes by bus, leaving Thursday, November 12. If fewer commit but at least 10 individuals do, the group flies at the airline group rate, leaving Friday, November 13. CRS will confirm travel and return details with families.

How to take part

  1. Complete the CRS family registration below, one per family.
  2. Register each traveler (student and parent) individually on the official ASBC page. ASBC does not accept group registration, and CRS registration does not register you with ASBC.
  3. Send CRS your ASBC confirmation. CRS will follow up about fees or assistance, travel, and the student success binder.

Official ASBC registration

Want to mentor a student? Use the mentor commitment form below the family registration.

Fee and assistance

The CRS family registration fee is $75. Families may request partial or full assistance, reviewed based on available funding. CRS will share payment instructions directly.

Need help with the registration fee? Partial scholarships available

Partial travel scholarships, funded through community benevolence and corporate sponsorships, are available. Scholarships are awarded based on demonstrated financial need and active participation in the binder preparation process alongside your assigned committee mentor. A partial scholarship reduces, but may not entirely eliminate, the mandatory family registration contribution.

Partial Scholarship Application (PDF)

Questions? Call 256-509-0434 or email hello@crshsv.org.

CRS Delegation Family Registration
Preferred contact method
Include each person's name and role (student, parent or guardian, other adult, other child)
Is anyone you listed also on another family's CRS form?
Please don't include diagnoses or medical records
Your family's current commitment:
Can everyone leave by bus at 6:00 AM Central on Friday, November 13?
The return date is set for Sunday, November 15.
How would your family like to handle the $75 CRS fee and trip costs?
If requesting assistance, what do you need help with?
Amount your family can contribute:
Amount requested
Please don't send bank statements, Social Security numbers, or tax returns.
CRS fee payment status:
Do not enter card or bank details here.
ASBC registration status
CRS Intake Acknowledgement:
CRS Assistance Acknowledgement:
By completing this form, you give Children Read Succeed permission to use this information to coordinate the HBCU Festival trip and to contact your family.

Mentor Commitment Form

Thank you for helping a North Alabama student make the most of the HBCU Festival. Please fill this out once per mentor.

How pairing works: CRS matches mentors with students using a rubric based on each student's support needs, major and career goals, and personality fit. Student safety and comfort come first, and every mentor must complete CRS safety clearance, including a background check, before being paired.

  • Friday, October 30, 2026: commit to mentor by submitting this form.
  • Monday, November 2, 2026: mentors paired with students.
  • Friday, November 6, 2026: binder audit and sign-off by each student's assigned Committee Mentor.
Mentor Intake Form
(if any)
Prep-period availability:
Festival weekend:
Where can you help a student?
Your coaching style:
(shared hometown, interests, background you're comfortable sharing)
CRS Safety Clearance:
CRS Intake Acknowledgement:
Dates Acknowledgement:
By completing this form, you give Children Read Succeed permission to use this information to coordinate the HBCU Festival trip and to contact you.

Children Read Succeed and the North Alabama Coalition are taking local high school students and their parents to the 24th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) HBCU Festival. Sponsorships pay for travel, lodging, meals and admissions prep, so cost isn't what keeps a student from same-day college admissions and on-the-spot scholarships.

At a glance

  • Event: 24th Annual ASBC HBCU Festival, November 13-14, 2026. The in-person day is Saturday, November 14, at The St. James in Springfield, VA.
  • Who it helps: students and parents from Madison County and surrounding North Alabama communities.
  • Where the money goes: 100% of funds go directly to the students and families.
  • Tax-deductible: Children Read Succeed is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
  • Ways to give: online, by check, or at a sponsor tier. Jump to giving

Sponsorship tiers

Title Community Champion: $10,000

Impact: Supports 10 families (up to 30 students/parents) with travel, lodging, meals, and portfolio-preparation workshops.

  • Exclusive Presented By rights on all marketing
  • Prominent logo on event T-shirts and banners
  • Dedication slot at the pre-departure briefing
  • 4 social media features on Children Read Succeed Facebook

Legacy Builder: $5,000

Impact: Supports 5 families for the festival weekend, including group lodging and regional transportation assets.

  • Large logo placement on promotional flyers and the official website
  • Verbal recognition during community workshops
  • 2 dedicated social media spotlights

Opportunity Catalyst: $2,500

Impact: Supports 2 families, including travel stipends and academic transcript preparation kits.

  • Medium logo placement on shared donor banners
  • Mention in regional press releases
  • Group acknowledgment on social media

Literacy & Leadership Sponsor: $1,000

Impact: Funds pre-festival Admissions Portfolio Prep sessions, including printing, resume formatting, and professional folders.

  • Name/logo listed in the event program directory
  • Included in the collective thank-you post on social media

Family Advocate: $500

Impact: Fully sponsors one family's individual travel or logistical micro-grants.

  • Name listed in the event program directory

Smaller gifts that still go far

  • $250, Tech & Printing Fund: Supplies 5 students with professional digital media and portfolio printing for on-the-spot interviews.
  • $100, Student Travel Meal Stipend: Feeds a Huntsville student for the duration of the festival travel.
  • $50, Family Registration Prep: Covers administrative logistics and materials used in regional preparatory workshops.

Your logo on the festival floor

Children Read Succeed has reserved an exhibit booth at The St. James in Springfield, VA. It will serve as the official headquarters for the Huntsville and North Alabama delegation. Participating organizations and their logos will be included on signage, digital and/or print, through the HBCU: National Presence | North Alabama Collaborative Exhibition Hub, and corporate partners supporting the travel scholarship pool will receive prime placement on pavilion signage.

Why partner with us?

  • Tax deductibility: Children Read Succeed is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, so contributions are tax-deductible.
  • Direct local impact: 100% of funds directly support students residing in Madison County and surrounding North Alabama communities.
  • Breaking poverty cycles: This project aligns with the Children Read Succeed mission by using education as a direct tool to help mitigate intergenerational poverty.