community

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Photos: Juneteenth 2022 at Sip and Sonder

To celebrate the NBA’s 75th season, NBA Cares continues its mission to use the power of basketball to create a lasting positive impact in communities globally. Working alongside each of its teams, the NBA has spent the 2021-2022 season refurbishing and unveiling a newly renovated Live, Learn, and Play Centers in each local market.

The Lakers selected the Boys &amp; Girls Club of San Fernando Valley to be recipients of the honorary donation intended to refurbish and unveil a new Live, Learn and Play center. This close community partner caters to underserved and at-a-disadvantage youth from the northeast San Fernando Valley, and is dedicated to promoting the educational, vocational, social, and character developments of boys &amp; girls between the ages of 6 and 17.

This project turned “The Club” Teen Center into a Lakers &amp; NBA Cares branded Live, Learn &amp; Play Center that provides a safe, stimulating, and comfortable environment for these older youth to study, relax, and build friendships. The room was reoutfitted based on a focus study of teen members, and was also designed by a former club member, Lucero Gutierrez of Lustrous Interiors.

During the unveiling, Lakers Legend Robert Horry made a special appearance to engage with the teens, taking photos and playing some ball. The 2020 Championship Trophy also made a visit, exciting the teens as they took in the new room.

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75th Anniversary Season Legacy Project Unveiling￼

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LA Lakers 75th Anniversary Season Legacy Reveal

Congratulations to the 2021-2022 Lakers Math Hoops Regional Champs, Doryen and Zoe!

Presented by Comerica Bank, NBA Math Hoops includes youth in grades 3rd-8th from Lakers community partners across Los Angeles. The program, powered by Learn Fresh, has students work with NBA player stats and engage in fundamental math and social-emotional learning all through the game of basketball. Youth learn and practice important math skills through innovative and impactful real-life scenarios.

After completing a 10-week curriculum, community partners had the chance to participate in the Lakers Regional Math Hoops Tournament! Teams from participating partners battled through an elimination-style tournament over a three-day period, with the final two teams participating in this virtual Finals on March 31st. Laker Girls Janelle and Kelly, along with Lakers staff, joined in the fun, offering support and insights on the importance of sportsmanship throughout the game.

The winners of this tournament were The Panthers, a team made up of Doyren and Zoe, representing Boys &amp; Girls Club of Venice! will move on to the National Math Hoops Tournament this summer, where they will compete with youth from other NBA Teams community partners.

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Math Hoops 2022 Recap

The Lakers Youth Foundation celebrated the 2021-2022 YOU Grant Contest at the April 1st game with an on-court check presentation. The YOU Grant contest was developed to engage Lakers fans by allowing them to vote for the winner of a Lakers Youth Foundation Grant. This Lakers season Social Justice Learning Institute, Compton Kidz Club and Students Run LA were awarded a $5,000 grant to aid in their ongoing efforts to change the lives of many Los Angeles youth.

Social Justice Learning Institute is dedicated to improving the education, health, and well-being of youth and communities of color by empowering them to enact social change through research, training and community mobilization.

Compton Kidz Club’s mission is the embodiment of a long-held vision of a school that embodies the redemption of the whole child, the academic development and the performing arts skills of students needing a different education experience. A school free of bullying and negativity, inclusive of a safe and supportive learning environment and on track for college and career pathways. Our vision is to build a culture of learning that is relational and engages students through supportive, quality, innovative instruction, integrated technology, responsible social media, social and environmental justice and the performing arts providing students with viable options for college and career readiness. Our mission is to assist students to discover their own creative and innovative processes to remain engaged in school and life through a STEAM education and the performing arts.

Students Run LA’s mission is to challenge underserved secondary students to experience the benefits of goal setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Los Angeles Marathon.

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2021-22 You Grant Presentation

Congratulations to Students Run LA on winning the Lakers Youth Foundation March 2022 YOU Grant Contest!

The mission of Students Run LA is to challenge underserved secondary students to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Los Angeles Marathon.

Each year, Students Run LA (SRLA) welcomes 3,200 middle and high school students from 185 public schools and community programs across Greater Los Angeles to train alongside their teachers to complete the Los Angeles Marathon, learning along the way that if they can run a marathon, they can do anything! For more than 30 years, our consistent annual results are striking - 99% of students who start the LA Marathon, finish it.

To get students ready for the BIG DAY, SRLA organizes, transports, and pays for students to enter 6 community races of progressively longer distances, building from a 5K to a 30K race. Funding is needed to provide students with the resources &amp; training materials to be successful: uniforms &amp; shoes, entry to 6 community races, transportation to the races, and water &amp; nutrition at the races.

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2021-2022 Lakers Youth Foundation YOU Grant

Top: Michael Walters, Brandon Perez
    Bttm: Mya Osorio, Wendy Santana, Avalon Ostrander, Ian Stuart

Nominate someone
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        for student or educator in 2021-22.

The Lakers are proud to announce our March 2022 Student and Educator of the Month honorees! This month’s student honorees are Avalon Ostrander, Brandon Perez, and Mya Osorio. The educator honorees are Wendy Santana, Ian Stuart, and Michael Walters. Each honoree demonstrates an outstanding commitment to academia, athletics, and community outreach.

Avalon Ostrander is a kind, caring, and intelligent 2nd grade student at Weaver Elementary. Avalon is a hard worker who has shown great growth in reading fluency and comprehension. Outside of school, she supports her Brownie troops community efforts, such as helping collect toys for other kids or pet shelter donations, and even spoke in front of her school encouraging donations for various charities.

Brandon Perez, a respectful, helpful, and sweet 5th grade student at Camellia Ave Elementary. Brandon has made improvements over the last 3 years in his independence, making his teachers proud. He is hardworking and is always respectful to those around him. Brandon also makes a positive impact by recycling and keeping his school and community clean.

Mya Osorio an impressive, dynamic 10th grade student at Sonora High School. Mya has overcome personal and academic obstacles during her early development to accomplish incredible academic and personal successes. Mya is hardworking and dedicated--currently has five A’s in her courses this semester—and a true positive inspiration to those around her.

Wendy Santana is a caring, loyal, and compassionate Kindergarten teacher at Menlo Elementary School. Mrs. Santana believes that all children can learn and are fully capable of instilling this belief in her students as well. Her signature program, “Conga Kids” is a dance curriculum crafted to promote physical well-being and coordination, while also aiming to build a community of self- confidence.

Ian Stuart is a dedicated, composed, and adored 4th grade teacher at Pomelo Community Charter. Mr. Stuart makes his students feel safe and gives students a chance to share what they are feeling each day through his Restorative Justice circles. He is also the lead teacher for the International Mathematical Kangaroo program, emphasizing teamwork, cooperation, and creativity.

Michael Walters is a caring, funny, and dedicated 11th and 12th grade Social Studies teacher at Edison High School. Not only do Mr. Walters students know how deeply he cares about their growth; they also hold a yearly AP pass rate above 80%. Mr. Walters also has been a member of the Varsity Football coaching staff for close to 15 years and is known for putting character first.

Each Student and Educator of the Month honoree was invited to the home game March 14th vs. the Toronto Raptors. They were honored during a halftime on-court presentation where they received a special plaque and a Lakers Student and Educator of the Month t-shirt. The nominations for the March Student and Educator of the Month were submitted by administrators, principals, teachers and parents of each school based on exemplary education efforts, academic achievement or extracurricular activities.

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March 2022 Student and Educator of the Month

This February, the Los Angeles Lakers returned with the 2022 installment of Building Bridges with Basketball. This program serves as an opportunity for members of the Los Angeles Police Department and at-risk youth from local community organizations to engage in virtual conversations around dynamic topics. Using the sport as a bridge for these discussions, the ultimate intention is to break down barriers and build positive, lasting connections that last beyond each session and permeate the community.

This year, the Lakers welcomed community participants from Project Blue, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, and COMMUNITYx. Three virtual conversations were held, moderated by Sean Sheppard, founder of non-profit Game Changer. In the days following each conversation, participants came together to enjoy a Lakers home game and meal at Crypto.com Arena.

Each meeting covered topics such as implicit bias, fair treatment/integrity, and trust. Contributors to the conversations offered spirited opinions and respectful solutions, and almost all had one main theme in common: communication between civilians and officers must continue to grow.