Three-time NBA champion, LeBron James has opened a school for underprivileged children in his hometown Akron, Ohio. The school is a joint venture between the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools.
The school has longer hours, running 9am to 5pm and a longer school year than the typical public school. Students will also be provided meals during the school day. Addressing guests and students present at the opening, James disclosed that to him to have a balanced student is only when the student is filed with food.
“I think first of all, fueling the body keeps the mind sharp. I remember when I was a kid, my attention span, I mean, listen, you could have me for a little bit, but you had to keep me engaged, so I think obviously fueling these kids and giving them breakfast and lunch and snack and just keeping them here under our support, keeping them here under guidance and giving them objectives and criteria they can match and not feel stressed and feel like they’re family. That’s what we want to create,” said LeBron.
The school is set to create an environment brings students together as one big family and not feel that they are from different backgrounds and not create an environment that’s like a workplace where people are always busy with their work. “We want to create an environment of family and not like a workplace. Sometimes you can get tired if you look at it like work- you kind of get tired of it. We want to create an environment of family where you want to always be around your family. No matter the good and the bad, you always want to be around that support system. So that’s what we’re creating here,” He further added.
James elaborated on his fourth grade experience later during a news conference saying, “School didn’t mean anything to me, obviously back then…It was a surprise to me when I woke up and I was actually going to school. So, I just felt like everyday, I was just waking up and I had just a bunch of time of nothing. I didn’t have any siblings…There were just a lot of empty days, empty nights and just kind of a no-future thought process.”
While the school opening is a tangible representation of his public service, James vowed to continue to make a difference through his example and by addressing social issues. Students are reminded never to give up with words such as “I will work hard, I will never give up” and more emblazoned on the walls every time they walk through the impressive rotunda-like entrance.
James’ I Promise School opened Monday to serve low-income and at-risk students in his hometown, and the public school could be an agent of change in the eastern Ohio city. The institution is the intersection of James’ philanthropic Family Foundation and the I Promise Network he helped kick start. I Promise began as an Akron based non-profit aimed at boosting achievement for younger student from disadvantaged backgrounds. Now the movement has the means to educate these students year round.
