Inside The Wizards

Kyle Kuzma Launches Jail Reform Program for Incarcerated Women

NBA champion Kyle Kuzma stopped by Flint, MI to announce jail reform program to benefit incarcerated women and provide holiday gifts to children visiting their moms

Carita Parks

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
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Kyle Kuzma may be in the midst of the Washington Wizards season but that is not stopping him from doing good. The NBA champion made a quick visit to his hometown of Flint, Michigan to announce a partnership through the Kyle Kuzma Foundation that will benefit women in prison.

The foundation is partnering with I.G.N.I.T.E to help mothers who are incarcerated. He is also working with R.I.S.E program to create a program sponsoring moms in their first six months of release. Both I.G.N.I.T.E and R.I.S.E are established jail reform organizations in Flint.

To officially launch the collaboration, Kuzma and his mother Karri surprised the audience at I.G.N.I.T.E’s graduation ceremony at the Genessee County Jail in Michigan on Sunday.

Kuzma delivered the commencement speech and invited graduates to a post-event holiday party where they received $60,000 worth of clothes to inspire confidence and help them with self-care upon reentry into the community, and he also handed out presents to kids who were on-site to visit their moms.

Kuzma also revealed two renovated jail cells called “Kuz’s Corner.” Kuz’s Corner provides a space for incarcerated female inmates to play with their children during visits.

Wizards and Forward Kuzma Announce New Thanksgiving Community Effort

The Kyle Kuzma Foundation also hosted Thankful Meals, a community outreach event to provide food and essential goods to low-income families in Washington, D.C. for the holidays. At the event, he spoke to Inside The Wizards Staff Writer Carita Parks about the Kyle Kuzma Foundation and the passion his mother has for supporting single mothers.

“My mom is the head honcho of our foundation. She’s very happy to have that job title,” Kuzma said. “Our mission is just to help. Our main priority is single mothers and underprivileged kids and working with different community centers, charities, and benefit foundations to accomplish goals. Obviously that’s a wide variety. I know my mom has a great passion for single mothers and mothers raising kids that don’t have necessities. That’s important to me too because we lived that.”

READ MORE: Wizards Star Kyle Kuzma Breaks Ground On New YMCA In His Hometown

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Carita Parks
CARITA PARKS

Carita Parks is the founder and editor-in-chief of Double Take Sports, an online sports platform featuring in-depth feature interviews, personal athlete stories, game analysis, and inside access to top sporting events. As a credentialed sports journalist, Carita has covered major events such as the NBA Draft, NBA Playoffs, WNBA Draft, WNBA Finals, Super Bowl, NFL Draft, NFL Honors, and more. Her current work includes regular coverage of the NFL, WNBA, and NBA, including the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, and Washington Commanders. Carita’s articles and interviews have appeared on a variety of platforms including USA Today’s CommandersWire and more. Throughout her journey as a reporter, Carita has interviewed many prestigious names in sports and entertainment to include: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Natasha Cloud, Elena Delle Donne, Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Patrick Mahomes, Jemele Hill, and Snoop Dogg.  As a sports insider, Carita has been invited to provide expert analysis on podcasts, radio, and television shows. She also co-hosts a ‘The Triple W,’ an all female Wizards podcast, and a DC sports podcast called ‘The Breakdown.' Carita has a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Masters in Business Administration. She is a member of Women in Sports and Events – DC Chapter and the National Association of Black Journalists. 

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