Rowan Kavner 
Digital Content Coordinator
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers have partnered with WE Day, a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities, to inspire one million hours of service.
Through “WE Day Wednesday” games at STAPLES Center, the Clippers highlight students from the Los Angeles area who are making an impact in their community through service and introduce the Clippers community to stories of local youth who are passionate about giving back.
The students discuss their journey to becoming “WE Day heroes,” a group of students who get to attend WE Day California, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood on April 7. The event unites 16,000 students and educators from across the state and features world-renowned speakers and performers celebrating the commitment young people have made to taking social action.
Clippers.com caught up with WE.org co-founder Craig Kielburger, a social entrepreneur who’s dedicated himself since he was 12 years old to giving kids a voice and inspiring positive change in the world.
How did the partnership between WE Day and the Clippers come about?
CK: “We were incredibly honored and excited when, through introductions, Steve Ballmer and Connie Ballmer became long-time supporters of our work. In fact, Connie was our founding co-chair of WE Day in the Pacific Northwest. Through their involvement, we were thrilled and honored that the Clippers and the Clippers’ team and foundation took a look at what we do and they co-created this idea with us to launch a challenge for young people to log a million hours of service to earn their way to the WE Day celebration.”
How did Free The Children and eventually We.org, WE Day, ME to WE and your ideas for social change begin?
CK: “We started the charity 20 years ago as a group of then-12-year-olds. We couldn’t find another charity that would support us as young people at doing service in a meaningful way. WE Days grew about eight years ago now, when we organized our first WE Day, and they’ve grown to cities across America, Canada and the United Kingdom. We’ve been thrilled to have WE Days from Seattle to Minneapolis, from Chicago to other locations.
“We had our first WE Day in California two years ago in Oakland. Last year was in San Jose, then this year we’re thrilled to have for the first time a WE Day taking place in Los Angeles. We’ve been really grateful for the Clippers to amplify and celebrate it, and I love the fact that so often kids are cheering for the team; this time, the team is cheering for the kids and their service projects.”
What makes WE Day Wednesdays particularly special?
CK: “Why those WE Day Wednesdays are so special and we’re so grateful for the Clippers to host them is two-fold. One, because it celebrates young people and it reshapes how we see them. So often, young people are seen as problems to be solved, and those young people are actually problem solvers. Working with young people who come from across Los Angeles, often from at-risk communities, to be celebrated and honored in this way is incredible and it sends a powerful message to the city and to America about the abilities of young people.
“The second reason it’s so special is for the individual young person. Each of them has worked so hard to earn their ticket to WE Day, and they deserve to be a hero and celebrated in the community, and they look up to the players. For them, these are kids who have watched the team and cheered for the team and dreamt of meeting the players someday. To be at center court and to have this recognition, for that young person, it truly changes their life.”
How much does the Ballmers’ and the Clippers’ support help WE Day and the kids making a difference in the community?
CK: “We are incredibly fortunate and lucky that Steve and Connie have become kind supporters of our work. I think the moment we heard the news about Steve acquiring the Clippers, I think that all of L.A. was excited by the potential to see a rejuvenated team with the energy to win games. I was personally deeply excited, because I knew that with him comes a passion, also, for service.
“To see the team become so deeply engaged in the community, continuing to build on what they’ve already been engaged in, but to double down on that commitment, it’s something that I think they will have great seasons dominating on the court; but they will also even have a greater impact in the community through the players and philanthropy at every level – from the owner, to the players, to the staff. Inspiring a million hours of service for WE Day California, this shows the power of the team to be such an enormous focus for good in the community.”
To learn more about WE Day Wednesday, visit www.clippers.com/weday. For more information about how WE Day, ME to WE and Free The Children are empowering people to change the world and how to get involved, visit www.we.org.