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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' heroics on the basketball court and the Hall-of-Fame career he has had so far is out there for everybody to see. The 36-year-old kid from Akron is also extremely philanthropic. He tactfully uses his fame, power and resources to carry out charitable ventures in deprived neighborhoods.
In this article, we will take a look at James' work away from the NBA that helps so many people in America and across the world.
LeBron James' Charitable Enterprises
Professional sports icons often use their status to influence and help the public - none more so than LeBron James. One of the Lakers forward's greatest projects is his funding of the 'I Promise' school in Akron, Ohio, where he was brought up.
Back when he played for the Miami Heat, James began the 'I Promise' initiative to improve the schooling situation for children in his hometown. That developed into supporting the new school that hopes to teach grades one-to-eight by 2022.
His family foundation invested $20m into the public elementary and gives $1m a year to help pay for teachers' salaries and to help keep class sizes manageable. The school is specifically aimed at helping children at risk and, during the coronavirus pandemic, LeBron helped provide care and meal packages for the students.
After the children graduated, James' foundation pledged to give more than 1,000 student scholarships in the coming years for kids to attend university. That works out at almost $41m to ensure the kids receive a college education.
LeBron James has also been a supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of America, to whom he donated $2.5m in 2010. After completing an ESPN special called 'The Decision', James gave the proceeds raised from the show to the organization which provides after-school projects for young people.
LeBron James' foundation is also a major contributor to ONExONE and the Children's Defense Fund, both of whom provide food, water, care and education to children in America and abroad.
In 2016, the 4-time NBA champion donated $2.5m to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture to help toward an exhibit based on the life of former Boxer Muhammad Ali. James attributed his donation to what Ali meant to him - not only as a sports champion and inspiration, but also for what he stood for outside of the ring.
Beyond his charitable donations, LeBron James uses his voice to help affect change on issues such as racial and social injustice in America. He has been an outspoken proponent of Democratic leaders Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden. He also founded the 'More Than a Vote' organization, which helps raise awareness and protects people's voting rights in America.
LeBron James' latest project is House Three Thirty, named after Akron's area code. It is scheduled to open in 2022 and will provide training, financial health programming and will be a free space for community activities.
Dr. Campbell and her contributions in the I PROMISE program
LeBron James launched the I PROMISE program in 2011, where the program offered tutoring and scholarships to the kids in Akron, Ohio. In 2023, it has blossomed into something bigger than just providing financial support to the kids but also housing. Although LeBron is the face of the I PROMISE program, it wouldn’t have been such a massive success without the hand of Dr. Michele Campbell.
Dr. Michele Campbell is a native of Akron and got her education from Ohio-based institutions. She did her Bachelors from from Ashland University, Masters from Kent State University and her doctorate from University of Akron. After seeing the rapid increase in the dropout rates in Akron, she decided to team up with LeBron, another native of Akron, to start the I PROMISE program.
The objective is quite simple, help the kids who come from challenged backgrounds and have a positive impact on their lives. This 12-year-long journey of helping the community of Akron has been quite successful, and Dr. Campbell has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
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