Basketball superstar LeBron James grew up as a low-income kid in Akron, Ohio, and he credits mentors, some of whom he met at school, with helping him become the success he is today. Because of this formative experience, he’s made it his mission to give back to his hometown.

Since James entered the NBA, that commitment has grown deeper and more strategic year after year. In July 2018, all of his efforts culminated in the groundbreaking I PROMISE School that opened its doors to 240 of Akron’s most challenged students and families. The school is an unprecedented collaboration between James’ philanthropic foundation – The LeBron James Family Foundation – and Akron Public Schools. 

Its out-of-the-box offerings include an extended school day (eight hours); year-round programming; free breakfast, lunch and a snack; the opportunity to earn four-year college scholarships; daily “I PROMISE” circles and social-emotional supports; a STEM-based curriculum, and complete wraparound resources for the entire family including GED courses and job placement services for parents. All are driven by James’ mission to help kids overcome the obstacles he faced as a low-income student in Akron.

James has rallied an entire community of partners that help provide the resources and supports that are integral to achieving the Foundation’s vision to create generational change.

“For LeBron, our Foundation and the I PROMISE School, our partners are family,” said Michele Campbell, Executive Director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “Their resources, time, and expertise are what make this transformational work possible.”

3M is proud to be one of those partners. Schools and their staff need lots of supplies, and recently the 3M Brand Sponsorship and Customer Events team, in partnership with Post-it® Brand and Scotch® Brand, donated six pallets worth of products to the I PROMISE School, including more than 1,000 packs of Post-it® Notes and easel pads, and 10 cases of yellow Scotch masking tape that looks like a ruler – a teacher favorite. 

 “The contributions by 3M will be in the hands of educators, students and families and will help to create an environment where true change is happening,” said 3M Brand Sponsorship Manager Collin Hummel, who helped deliver the products. “I’m proud to be a 3Mer and proud that 3M sees the value in supporting STEM education, our children, as well as communities as a whole.”

Learn more about the I PROMISE School here.