Kawhi Leonard is the real M.V.P.
Leonard, the two time NBA champion who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in July, partnered with the Clippers non-profit Baby2Baby to giveaway one million bookbags to low income families in Southern California.
According to the NBA the partnership will make sure every student in the Moreno Valley Unified, Inglewood Unified and the Los Angeles Unified School Districts, receives a backpack for the start of the new year. Leonard’s donation is the largest in the history of the L.A. Unified School District.
Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein, co-presidents of Baby2Baby said, “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for this record-breaking donation to every student...for many of these children who are homeless or in foster care, backpacks not only hold their school books and homework but also all of their personal belongings… the donation will make these children feel the pride they deserve and give them the confidence they need to start the school year off on the right foot.”
80 percent of K-12 students in the L.A. Unified School District deal with homelessness, poverty or are in the foster care system, the NBA reports. The donation hopes to alleviate some of the burden on these young people and their families.
Leonard, a native of Moreno Valley, felt like the donation just made sense. “My goal this year is to make a meaningful contribution both on and off the court,” he said. “This felt like the right way to get started. It was important to me to make this announcement in my hometown…at my former elementary school, but the benefits this program will have across all of Los Angeles makes today even more special.”
Keep leading by example Kawhi! We need more like you!
Photo Courtesy of Colette Garcia/Los Angeles Clippers