NBA superstar LeBron James, through the LeBron James Family Foundation, has partnered with Crypto.com to support educational and workforce development opportunities focused on Web3.
With a focus on educational empowerment, this new partnership will give students and families connected to the I PROMISE program access to the tools and educational resources needed to participate and succeed in building Web3, the future of the internet.
“Blockchain technology is revolutionizing our economy, sports and entertainment, the art world, and how we engage with one another. I want to ensure that communities like the one I come from are not left behind,” James told The Beacon Journal. “Crypto.com and I are aligned on the need to educate and support my community with the information and tools they need for inclusion. I’m looking forward to working with them to bring these opportunities to my community.”
You can be critical of James in a lot of areas, but his work in the Akron community and desire to uplift poor Black and Brown children is unassailable.
Access and opportunity are among the biggest challenges in poor minority communities. James’ investment in infrastructure, like the I PROMISE School, allows young students the same access and opportunity that their wealthier, often white, peers have.
The future is digital and with the emergence of NFTs and cryptocurrency there are jobs that will exist in 10-15 years that we can’t even conceive of right now. The fact that these kids are learning this new technology in real time is huge.
“It’s been amazing to see how many doors we’ve been able to open for my I Promise students and their families through the work we do with our partners and what we’re building with House Three Thirty,” James continued. “It’s important to me that we keep opening those doors – especially when it comes to Web3 and our digital future. I’m still learning as everything keeps evolving, and now with Crypto.com, I want to make sure my kids and families are part of that as well.”
House Three Thirty is an innovative, multi-use space for I PROMISE families and the local community to gather and engage in immediately impactful programming. House Three Thirty will serve as a one-stop community resource. It will house critical programs like fully customizable family financial health programming as well as job training opportunities in various established and emerging sectors.
The partnership with Crypto.com allows the LJFF to expand the scope of what is offered at House Three Thirty, giving students and their families knowledge and understanding of different sectors.
Many children and their families in communities like Akron look to LeBron as an example. They see sports and entertainment as a way to alter their life trajectories. Of course, the odds of making a living as a professional athlete or entertainer are extremely low. It’s like winning the lottery.
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But identifying passions and areas of interest and becoming knowledgeable in emerging technologies can offer a different, more attainable, path to a potentially rewarding future.
“LeBron James and his foundation have been pioneers in truly transforming the lives of those in his community through education and our partnership is based on a true alignment of values,” said Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com. “We couldn’t be more proud to join LJFF in providing opportunities to increase educational and workforce development while delivering the tools and access that will empower the next generation to build a better and more inclusive future.”
LeBron James continues to be the standard bearer for this generation of athletes and what it means to give back to the community.
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