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The Lebron James Foundation has publicized propositions for a multimillion-dollar I Promise HealthQuarters, a community-based main health-care facility. The health care center will provide dental, medical, mental health, and optometry assistance along with pharmaceutical and laboratory services. However, these services are not exclusive to I Promise students; the foundation offers these to the whole Akron community. In addition, I Promise HealthQuarters will have outside activities and a green space for exercise.
Lebron James loves him some Akron.
Lebron James continues to make a difference in the community, being a role model many athletes aspire to emulate. Several people look up to James for the difference he has made on the basketball court, but the changes he has implemented in the community are even more admirable.
Growing up without a father, Lebron struggled and had a difficult childhood. His mother, Gloria James, gave birth to him at 16 and struggled to make a living for herself and her son. The fuel from his absent father motivated James to make a difference in his community.
Moving from house to house, Lebron struggled to make friends and find himself until he was allowed to stay with Frank Walker, a local Akron football coach. Walker introduced James to basketball, and he fell in love with the sport, using it as an outlet to express himself. James experienced violence, poverty, and the hardships of growing up with a single mother. Watching his mother struggle to make ends meet, James knew he had to do something to help release the heavy burden. James viewed basketball as a way to provide for his mother and get them out of poverty.
After his basketball career took off, James entered the NBA in 2003, being the #1 overall draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers. James never let his rise to fame disconnect him from his roots, as he always gave back to the community that made him the basketball legend he is today. With his contracts, sponsorships, and endorsement deals, James has accumulated $1 billion. Given that he is worth so much, James provides for his people by giving 10% of his earnings to assist social communities.
Some talk about it, but like Nike, Lebron just does it.
James started The Lebron James Foundation, a program committed to reconceiving the Akron community and empowering families. According to the site, “The Lebron James Family Foundation invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for the kids and families of James’ hometown in Akron, Ohio through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives.” Through its I PROMISE program, the establishment delivers over 1,400 Akron students by supplying them with advocacy, encouragement, and programs to help them succeed. In addition, James has donated over $100 million from the foundation for supporting programs with different objectives to assist resources, education, and standard housing.
Michele Campbell, the executive director, stated to cleveland.com, “Access to affordable health care has always been a critical need for our families-and further heightened by the pandemic- so we began rallying our community to bring the experts together under one trusted roof.” Campbell went on to say, “Being able to provide this important resource for the entire community is only possible because we have incredible partners that share our We Are Family philosophy.”
I Promise HealthQuarters aims to open in 2023, and the location will be at 533 W. Market Street in Akron, across from House Three Thirty. It assists with financial literacy and supplying job training. During the announcement, the foundation stated that I Promise Healthquarters would help with Axess Pointe Community Health Centers, Coleman Health Services, and Peg’s Foundation.
Many people may not be fans of James on the court, but off the court, he attempts to make lasting impacts on the Akron community. Having a struggling and challenging childhood, James knows what it is like to come from nothing. Therefore, he provides schooling, scholarships, and health care to ensure that the Akron children have a better life than he did. It is always important to give back to the community that made you, which is what Lebron continues to do through I Promise Healthquarters.
Link to Black Wall Street Times>