Michael Jordan Invests Millions in Nonprofit Charity for Children
While Michael Jordan made news this week by appearing in an NBC commercial promoting the network’s “Sunday Night Football” game, another act by Jordan has gone virtually unnoticed.
The NBA legend announced Thursday that he’s making a multimillion-dollar investment in the charity Friends of the Children.
The nonprofit pairs at-risk youths with professional mentors from kindergarten through graduation. It is a nationwide organization that “breaks the cycle of generational poverty,” it says.
The donation will come from proceeds from Jordan’s upcoming documentary “The Last Dance.” The film, produced by ESPN Films and Netflix, is scheduled to premiere in 2019.
Jordan discussed what motivated him to get involved with Friends of the Children.
“What stood out to me about Friends of the Children was that they employ and train their mentors and that they commit to every child for 12½ years,” he said in a statement. “That dedication is important to me. My mentors believed in me and taught me the power of perseverance. I want youth in Friends of the Children to see that they have that same potential.”
The donation will support Friends of the Children’s work in two places Jordan calls home: Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago. It will also help with a national campaign designed to increase awareness of the organization.
Just released: @FriendsNational Investor Report highlights Michael Jordan’s multimillion-dollar commitment https://t.co/420EzGkO8H pic.twitter.com/tnGXkOTQhp
— Friends of the Children (@FriendsNational) November 1, 2018
Friends of the Children is in 14 locations in the United States, with four of them around the organization’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon. It has one location abroad in Cornwall, England.
The investment will help Friends of the Children’s goal of expanding to 25 cities by 2025.
“It’s not every day that you get a call that Michael Jordan — arguably most famous athlete in the world — had heard about your organization and wanted to support it. We got that call,” Terri Sorensen, CEO of Friends of the Children, said in a statement. “We are thrilled beyond measure for this generous gift and recognition for our lasting impact. …
“There are so many communities across the country that we want to serve. With Michael’s investment, we can now expand more quickly to 25 cities.”
This is second huge charitable donation Jordan has made in recent weeks.
After Hurricane Florence battered the Carolinas, Jordan donated $2 million to assist residents, with $1 million going to the American Red Cross and $1 million to the Foundation for the Carolinas’ Hurricane Florence Response Fund.
“It just hits home,” Jordan told The Associated Press about the hurricane’s effects. “I know all of those places: Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and Wallace, which is where my father is from. So quite naturally it hits home, and I felt like I had to act in a sense that this is my home.”
Additionally, Jordan and Nike made a separate donation to Friends of the Children last spring.
They donated the proceeds from a commemorative Jordan Bulls jersey sold at auction.
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