In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day, the Warriors Community Foundation and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) have announced a $250,000 contribution to the Oakland and San Francisco Unified School Districts to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes a $100,000 contribution from Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr.
Warriors Community Foundation President Nicole Lacob orchestrated a Foundation match of Kerr’s contribution and with an additional donation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise—the official Warriors and Chase Center partner powering connected experiences for fans—the total of $250,000 will split equally between the two school districts. The funds will be used to purchase hundreds of laptops and internet hotspots for Bay Area youth, to continue physically-distant learning and aid in teacher-student connectivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warriors players and coaches, including Damion Lee, surprised teachers across the Bay Area, participating in virtual staff meetings and speaking to academic professionals to honor the work they do on National Teacher Appreciation Day. Video of this call can be viewed above.
Kerr raised funds through his new podcast, Flying Coach, with Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll. The podcast centers around the two coaches’ leadership experiences, how they run their teams and the formative influences on their careers, and is available for fans to listen to HERE.
Lacob, who spent seven years as a high school history and government teacher, is in her seventh year as the Board President of the Warriors Community Foundation, founded in 2012. Under her leadership, the charitable arm of the Golden State Warriors has delivered over $12 million in impact to support educational equity in the Bay Area. Additionally, the Foundation has donated thousands of Warriors tickets to local youth and community leaders who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend an NBA game. The Foundation has also refurbished over 85 basketball courts in the Bay Area, providing a safe and clean space for community citizens to play.
“As a former high school educator, I am well-versed in some of the obstacles today’s teachers and students face with budgets, resources and technology needs,” said Lacob. “We’re extremely grateful to be in a position to assist during this time of need, as well as to honor our teachers on National Teacher Appreciation Day.”
“HPE remains committed to supporting the communities where we live and work as they grapple with the impacts of COVID-19,” says Gregg Melinson, President and Executive Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation and Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. “The HPE Foundation has supported distance learning initiatives in the Bay Area and beyond, through multiple partnerships. We are proud to partner with the Warriors in this latest effort to address some of the critical connectivity needs required to enable and maintain students’ learning in today’s environment.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Warriors Community Foundation and community relations team has supported both the Oakland and San Francisco Unified School Districts in various ways, including a donation of 4,000 grocery totes to augment each school district’s meal distribution service.
About the Warriors Community Foundation
The Warriors Community Foundation supports education and youth development to promote thriving students, schools and communities. The Foundation makes grants to improve educational equity in Alameda and San Francisco Counties, refurbishes public basketball courts around the Bay Area, and donates thousands of tickets each season to local schools and nonprofits. Established in 2012, the Foundation extends the team’s impact locally and continues a longstanding tradition of community involvement. It is sustained by generous contributions from Warriors owners, players, partners, and fans. To learn more, visit warriors.org.
About Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the global edge-to-cloud platform-as-a-service company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining the future and innovating to advance the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions, with a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, to help customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information please visit www.hpe.com.