As The Warriors Win, So Does The City Of Oakland
For a third straight year, the Golden State Warriors’ run to the NBA Finals has brought NBA Cares to its community, which once again received a renovation to one of its schools. This year, the NBA contributed a new learn & play zone, dance hall, and library to Westlake Middle School up by Lake Merritt, and funded over 60 class projects through donorschoose.org at 41 schools around the area and in Cleveland. It was all thanks to the Warriors, whose play brought the league’s charity back yet again.
“You can see the impact start growing and the excitement around these projects and the teams,” said Todd Jacobson, the NBA’s senior vice president of social responsibility.
Excitement is certainly a word to describe the emotion inside the school on Friday. Warriors general manager Bob Myers brought the school auditorium to its feet when he gave away two tickets to Sunday’s game to a student who was able to identify the jersey numbers of JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones—the Warriors on hand at the event. Then, the players opened and enjoyed the new facilities with the students.
Last year, it was a technology lab. This year, it was a family resource room. The league works together with area schools to identify its biggest needs, and for Westlake that was a room where commuters to the school could spend time.
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“This was a room that was so important for the school to make sure the family had a chance to be with their kid since they’re coming from far away,” Mr. Jacobson said.
The Warriors’ community outreach has set a shining example for youngsters such as those at Westlake. Its foundation has granted over $7 million over the past four years—one of the larger numbers in the league—to schools in the Bay Area through events like the annual Splash Brothers Fantasy Camp and a poker tournament.
“When you look at these walls, when you go into these learning and play centers, I want you think about what this team represents,” Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf told students on Friday. “This is a team that knows how to share.”
Whether it’s cooking, playing table tennis outside or dancing, students learning at Westlake Middle School will always remember what the Warriors did for them. As one of the league’s greatest teams leave a lasting legacy with its exceptional play, it is also leaving a mark on its community.
