February 5, 2014
Warriors Guard Kent Bazemore & ScholarShare Visit Alvarado Elementary School For Scholars Of Tomorrow PTA Night
The Golden State Warriors and ScholarShare, California’s 529 College Savings Plan, visited San Francisco’s Alvarado Elementary School on Monday night to discuss with students and parents the importance of planning and saving for college. Warriors guard and crowd favorite, Kent Bazemore, attended the Scholars of Tomorrow PTA Night to share his experiences in the classroom, preparing for college and graduating with a dual degree in human services and criminal justice from Old Dominion University.
“It’s great to visit a school with young kids with a lot of energy and to join ScholarShare to educate them on the importance of getting a good education,” said Bazemore.
The elementary students and parents listened to a panel discussion on the value of discipline and persistence in the classroom, as well as the benefits of being prepared for the future.
“Everything the students heard are topics that are brought up in our classrooms and to the PTA regularly, and to hear it from a professional athlete like Kent really hammers these points home,” said Alvardo Elementary Principal Robert Broecker.
ScholarShare Representative Jennifer Benson discussed with parents that the rising costs of a college education should not stand in the way of a child receiving a college education.
“ScholarShare and the Warriors believe that a college education leads to success in a young person’s career, and the best way to ensure that success is to plan early and keep their dreams big,” said Benson.
Bazemore discussed with students the value of hard work, persistence and being surrounded by a strong group of friends and family will drive a child to success.
“My mother never let me quit on myself or accept failure as an option, and I don’t think any kid should accept it either,” said Bazemore.
After the discussion panel, Bazemore announced the Scholars of Tomorrow award winners for each grade and gave away autographed Warriors merchandise to students in attendance. Bazemore and Benson also held a raffle for $1,000 ScholarShare College Savings Plans to two lucky families in attendance.
“It felt great to brighten the days of two families by presenting these savings plans and making it a little easier for them to attend college in a few years,” said Bazemore.
This is the second event the Warriors and ScholarShare have partnered on during the 2013-14 season, as fellow Warriors player, Center Andrew Bogut, participated in a Back to School Night at Argonne Elementary in San Francisco.