3 major ways in which the LeBron James Family Foundation has contributed towards social change
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has dazzled fans with his play on the basketball court throughout his career. Before LeBron entered the NBA, he was buzzing with popularity after becoming a high school phenom in Akron, Ohio. Fast forward to today and LeBron has turned into one of the most popular professional athletes of all-time.
The Lakers forward hasn't just shone with his play on the court, he's also become a key advocate for many social issues and has done an outstanding job of using his voice to give back to his community. As LeBron James continued to excel with his play on the basketball court, it was clear that James had a vision to potentially give back to his community as well. Eventually, James put that idea to work, establishing the LeBron James Family Foundation, which has gone on to become an outstanding organization who impacts the community in various ways. Let's take a look at how the foundation has impacted the world.
#3 Challenging Students to Succeed
Growing up in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James experienced some of the challenges that came with seeing families struggle to have ideal situations. After becoming a popular figure in professional sports, LeBron wanted to make a change involving students in his community. It started with an idea to reward students with their efforts and goals of reaching a higher education.
The LeBron James Family Foundation would announce that they would pledge up to $42 million to provide four-year scholarships to eleven hundred underserved students in the city of Akron. The foundation partnered with the University of Akron with the goal of rewarding students with the ability to pursue a college education.
The scholarships went on to cover tuition and general service fees for qualifying middle and high school students that were enrolled in the foundation's Akron I PROMISE network. The network has the goal of engaging children and their parents in efforts to improve "educational and life outcomes."
#2 Giving Back to the Community
Although the LeBron James Family Foundation made it a point of emphasis to create educational opportunities for students in Akron, Ohio, it didn't stop there. The foundation also announced the I PROMISE Village, which is described as an initiative to offer short-term housing for families at Akron Public Schools' I PROMISE School.
The goal of the foundation was to turn an apartment complex near the school into traditional housing for some of the students' families. Not only did LeBron and his foundation make opportunities for children and teenagers to chase their goals of getting a higher education, but now there was an opportunity for young families to have a better life. The point of emphasis here was to try to lessen the challenge that so many families have in the area when it comes to dealing with poverty in everyday experiences. The foundation wanted to make it a point that the students, and their families, would be able to have a safe place to sleep.
#1 I PROMISE
While the LeBron James Family Foundation continues to make ways with their efforts in the community, the installment of their entire "I PROMISE" campaign was an incredible accomplishment. The I PROMISE Program can be broken down into many specific areas, but there's a clear goal that it shares when it comes to giving back to the city of Akron. The foundation serves more than 1,500 students and their entire families by providing them with "the fundamental resources, wraparound support and family programming they need for success in school and beyond."
In 2018, the LeBron James Family Foundation announced one of their most successful contributions to the city of Akron. The foundation partnered with Akron Public Schools to build the I PROMISE School, which is described as establishing a "new model for urban and public education." Not only had the foundation given the students and families and opportunity at a better life, but it had also established a school that students could be proud to attend on a daily basis with the idea of creating life-changing resources.
It was clear that LeBron and the foundation wanted to bring students that were the most at-risk in Akron, and open the door to potentially being able to create a better future outcome. There's no denying that the impact James has had on the community in Akron has been sensational. The LeBron James Family Foundation continues to have a remarkable impact on the city the NBA legend calls home, and it looks as if that impact will only get stronger.