Some of you may have heard of a little NBA player by the name of Lebron James. Now as a fan of the great Golden State Warriors, I can not say I’m a huge LeBron fan on the court. BUT, as an educator, mother and just all around conscientious citizen, I may have just become LeBron’s greatest supporter.
Mr. James just opened a new school servicing students in the city of Akron, Ohio (where he is from). This isn’t just any school; it is an absolutely free public school. The facility is state of the art and enticing to any child’s eye.
Student’s receive free meals and uniforms, all necessary school supplies, and even bicycles to name a few things. There is also a food pantry on site and health services will be provided for not just the students, but for their families as well.
What really appeals to me is that the school will also offer adult education services to provide training and GED opportunities for the parents of these kids. When I first heard this, I almost broke down in tears. This man has single handedly invested a large amount of money ($40 million to be exact) to start an initiative to transform the community where he grew up! He will continue to donate as the school progresses and hopes to eventually serve a K-12 grade population.
When we as a human race start seeing this kind of behavior as a model and begin to praise and reward people for selfless efforts, I truly believe we will change the world. It takes each person doing what they can to impact the community around them for the better.
Lebron James may not be changing the world by putting a ball into a basket, but he surely is using his great fortune to impact the community that helped raise him and catapult him to greatness. How I wish we had an I PROMISE school here. How I wish we were able to answer so many issues that many school age children face. I know there is so much good in Baton Rouge. I sincerely hope we will continue to come together and do what we can to change the world around us!
