Knight Lends A Hand In Building Library

Brevin Knight intently absorbs his opponents’ actions on the court, searching for that signal that will trigger a perfect assist to one of his Bobcats teammates. Off the hardwood, it’s his family that locks his attention.

So when his wife, Deena, and their eldest daughter, Brenna, raised a community concern in his direction, Knight listened intently before reacting. After taking everything in, Knight reached out as best he could to make a difference in Charlotte’s community.

The Knight family and their Assist by Knight Foundation commemorated the opening of a new children’s library at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope with a special ribbon ceremony last week. The center is a 200-person homeless shelter for women and children that have served the Charlotte for more than a century.

As her mother had often done with her, eight-year old Brenna Knight was reading a children’s book to a faction of impressionable kids a while back when Deena Knight noticed the cramped space and filthy floor that the children were forced to sit on. A couple of weeks later, she fixed the problem.

“My wife noticed that there was a lack of an area for kids to get away to,” Brevin Knight, in his 10th year as an NBA point guard, said. “This is a place where we can definitely make an impact for their lives down the road.”

The foundation completed the renovation, which converted what was a storage space in the corner of the facility into a children’s library with fresh paint, new ceiling tile and inspiration material while adding nearly 4,000 books.

“We really believe about the power of having a beautiful space for your child,” Deena Knight said. “We do it with our kids even though we move so much… so this was right up my alley, to do something that was friendly, restful and beautiful and encourage reading.”

The books were compiled from separate drives from both the Charlotte Preparatory School and Charlotte Christian School. Pizza parties were used as incentive to encourage the schools to provide the amount of necessary books. Other organizations also donated to the cause, including the Bobcats, who contributed approximately 300 books.

“I think reading is important for all of us. It gives us an escape from daily monotony and it exposes us to things we can necessarily come up with in our own mind,” Deena Knight, who stayed up until 1 a.m. before the project was set to open, said. “But especially for homeless kids where the day-to-day hustle is very difficult and sometimes your own circumstances seem insurmountable, to be able to read a good book and escape to a different place is very powerful. It transforms the mind.”

The Assist by Knight Foundation is a charitable foundation in Charlotte and other select cities. On its Web site, www.assistbyknight.org, the foundation’s mission is “to provide assistance to charities and community organizations that focus on the development of athletic, artistic and educational programs for youth.” Though the foundation was formed in 2002 to specifically assist Multiple Sclerosis victims, it values early education as an important development pillar.

“Our vision for it is education, because we believe that’s the way you end chronic homelessness,” said Deronda Metz, the center’s director of social services. “Basically, it may be a small space, but it really is a big deal.”

Brevin and Deena Knight, who have three kids, realized how much potential impact the newly renovated library has.

“You’re going to read for your entire life,” Brevin Knight, who is averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 assists this season, said. “(The room) is for reading, but it’s also a time to reflect and get away from a rigorous day, and hopefully this space gives them that.”

With Brevin holding their youngest child by her side, Deena Knight had a grin on her face – a simple sign of satisfaction – as she watched how excited nearly 25 underprivileged kids were about reading.

“It’s definitely been a labor of love,” she said. “I put a little piece of my heart in there, and just hope that each kid will feel that when they walk in.”