On Nov. 28, the worldwide celebration of Giving Tuesday commences – an initiative that, at its core, inspires folks to simply “do good”.
How is the NBA doing its part?
To commemorate the holiday, the NBA Foundation, the league’s first-ever charitable foundation, announced a new round of 23 grants, totaling $5.8 million dispersed to organizations across the United States and Canada.
Let’s dive into four of these organizations and how they embody the spirit of Giving Tuesday in their everyday work.
“Texas Black Expo was founded out of my pain.”
These are the words of Jerome D. Love. At the time, the CEO and founder of Texas Black Expo was 19 years old with a knack for entrepreneurship, but the stars didn’t align just yet.
“[I] didn’t have any guidance, didn’t have any training, and long story short, I lost a bunch of money.” Love said. “That ultimately led me to founding [Texas] Black Expo with a desire and a passion to help other entrepreneurs that were like me when they got started, so that they can have a greater chance of success.”
Little did Love know that 20 years later, Texas Black Expo would transform thousands of young go-getters across the state. The organization celebrated their 20-year milestone in May. The headliner for the event? Five time NBA champion Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
“People resonate with that story of someone who started from humble beginnings, and now has built themselves up and are in a position where they can help others,” Love said.
With partnership from the NBA Foundation, the organization plans on launching a new ‘FEW’ curriculum, in an effort to educate young adults on economics and finance and properly prepare them for careers in the field if they so choose. But there’s a greater purpose for the program among the plethora that Texas Black Expo offers: a chance for a more prosperous community.
“Part of the reason that I believe many of our communities are underserved is because individuals don’t have the resources to take care of themselves, so they can’t try to support or help anyone else. And that’s needed in our community.” Love said.
“We believe that everybody has value, and that businesses build communities. So the greater chance that we have [of] helping someone to be successful in their business and their entrepreneurial endeavors, the greater opportunity that that business is going to be able to positively impact the community and ultimately close the wealth gap.”
For Elyse Giaimo, it’s simple.
“What I love the most about Community Options is that they have a real growth mindset,” Giaimo said. “They’re forward-thinking, they focus on innovation, they are always wanting to try new pilot projects and better ways to serve the community.”
This mindset led Community Options to expand throughout 12 states since its 1989 inception, and offer thousands of folks with disabilities nationwide with resources such as housing and employment opportunities. It was that shared value of connectivity and growth that connected them with the NBA Foundation, now for its second year with the program.
This time around, they are not only expanding their resources but perfecting their craft.
“What I’m looking forward to is finding ways to make more of an impact and fill gaps in what the existing services are,” said Robert Stack, Community Options’ founder and CEO. “I think we’re uniquely positioned, because we’re in so many different states, for us to be able to look at what’s working best in certain states, and how can we implement that across the board.”
With the incorporation of these programs, such as enterprises, management consulting and more, Stack hopes to foster a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities in their communities and beyond.
“There’s just so much room for people to be better and more integrated. And I think that Community Options is always looking for those opportunities. Where can we expand? Where can we help people come off of a waitlist for services? And how can we do it best?” Stack added.
The number of success stories from members throughout the organization is a testament that their efforts not only work, they are a necessity.
“There’s so many opportunities for people with disabilities to join the workforce, to find more inclusive environments and to be part of their communities,” Stack said. “We’re just here to help [make] that happen.”
Barato Britt, executive director of the Edna Martin Christian Center, was asked for one word to describe the community in which his organization serves. For Britt, resiliency came to mind.
“This neighborhood is 150 years old,” he said. “And in that time, it has seen more disinvestment than positive resident-focused asset-based community development.
“Yet it continues to endure. Yet it has created leaders that are continuing to shape not just our neighborhood, but the community as a whole.”
EMCC aims to continue molding the leaders at their fingertips through numerous programs for the neighborhood’s oldest and youngest members. Recently, that manifested as a Drive and Dish partnership with Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett and others.
The passion of the EMCC staff is the engine of their operation.
“To gather the resources and make them available and equitable for other people means a lot to me,” said Brittany Keno, EMCC’s workforce development director. “And to give other people a chance and a seat at the table so that they can increase their whole quality of life is a big deal for me.”
While the work of EMCC extends through aspects of community life such as entrepreneurship and ministry, it looks to emphasize their efforts for students in partner school classrooms with the support of the NBA Foundation. Increasing attendance, graduation rates and decreasing suspension and conflicts in the classroom are some of the objectives on their list, said Keno.
“We believe that by bringing these kinds of workforce development programs [into schools], it gives the students an opportunity to learn about themselves, and the type of interests and core values that they have, how to have effective communication, how to be dependable and use time management,” Keno said.
Britt envisions the future of the students they connect with and the possibilities of what they can accomplish. It brings a smile to his face.
“The privilege of being able to serve in the capacity that we do is one thing. It’s humbling to know that there is a direct role that we’re playing in [the] positive transformation of the individuals that we’re serving in the community as a whole.” Britt said.
Ethọ́s Lab Educational Society
When Anthonia Ogundele, founder and executive director of Ethọ́s Lab, learned that the organization would become a grantee of the NBA Foundation, a particular memory came to mind.
In her early teenage years, she attended an overnight camp at the Ontario Science Center, where she found an exhibit simply labeled, ‘Internet’. The first website she searched? NBA.com.
“I would watch Ahmad Rashad in the morning, and that was the only website that I knew,” Ogundele laughed, “and now I’m on the phone with y’all!”
While Ethọ́s Lab’s work is centered around STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), its programming emphasizes a holistic approach to after-school programming. While building students’ confidence in the classroom, Ethọ́s Lab works to develop core skills for post-secondary admissions, future careers and leadership through applied learning, mentorship, access to emerging tech, weekly collaborative workshops and creative projects.
“What this grant is going to enable us to do is really deepen and enhance our programming, and deliver more programming,” Ogundele said. “We’re going to create employment opportunities, and deliberate paths to post-secondary and careers in areas of STEAM.”
However, the work isn’t only done in the labs or the classroom. Ethọ́s Lab’s philosophy extends into the home and the culture of their community members. Ogundele poses this method as a question: What might place/spacemaking look like when you center the humanity of the Black experience?
“In Vancouver, we’re only 1% of the population. So often, these young people are the only Black person in their school. There’s a deep sense of not feeling like they belong,” Ogundele said.
“[Ethọ́s Lab] creates that space where they’re able to see [themselves in] leadership, as well as their peers. It is open to all young people, but we directly design our programming, centering the Humanity of the Black experience, ensuring that the environment is reflective of them, they feel safe, and that they’re connected to an ecosystem which creates a more inclusive space for all.”
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Below is a full list of the new and renewed grant recipients:
B-360, BC Community Alliance, Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation, Black Youth Leadership Project, Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, Butterfly Dreamz, College Possible, Community Options, Congress Heights Arts and Culture, Dream Alive, Dream.org, Edna Martin Christian Center, Ethọ́s Lab Educational Society, Flanner House, Love, Unity, and Values Institute, New Heights Youth, Our Own Non Profit Inc., R.I.S.E Arts and Community Services, St. Paul Youth Services, Texas Black Expo, The Literacy Lab, Visions of Science Network for Learning, Youth Justice Network
Founded in the Summer of 2020, the NBA Foundation, a joint collaboration between the NBA, NBPA and NBA Governors, has pledged over $300 million over 10 years to create economic empowerment in Black communities.
To learn more about the NBA Foundation, go to https://nbafoundation.com/
