While things have gone south for the Lakers this week, LeBron James made a quick trip home to Akron, Ohio to present his "I Promise" School with a check for $1,000,000. According to reports, the $1M grant is from the DICK's Sporting Goods Foundation and the company's Sports Matter initiative.
LeBron made the surprise appearance and announcement at his alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
According to reports, the grant will go towards building a brand new gym for the school, providing students with a new space for physical education classes, as well as after-school activities. Additionally, the "I Promise" gym will serve as a safe space for local kids after school hours.
"To my kids, this is more than a gym," James said. "The Dick's Sports Matter program is helping us provide even more opportunities. An opportunity to play and learn in a safe place that many don't have access to. I can't imagine where my friends and I would be if it weren't for the coaches and teachers who cared about us and the opportunities we had."
“I don’t want you guys to think that the gym that we’re putting up is just correlated behind sports. It’s also another safe place for our kids. Another place where our faculty members and our teachers and everyone associated the place can still have hands on with our kids," he said, per Fox.
The LeBron James Family Foundation reports that all students at IPS started the school year in the bottom 25th percentile and were performing below grade level. In less than a year, 90% are meeting or exceeding individual goals in reading and math and are outpacing peers cross the district.