Join the CRS Delegation to the 26th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival
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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, 6:30 PM Central, St. Luke Baptist Church, 1800 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, Alabama.

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, 6:30 PM Central, St. Luke Baptist Church.
  • 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. It is not the full cost of the trip. 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.

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:
Hose can your family travel with CRS?
If we travel by bus, can everyone listed leave Thursday, November 12?
If we fly, can everyone listed leave 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.