New York Knicks, Chase Gift Bronx-Based Charter School With $100K

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Several NBA franchises have spearheaded initiatives centered on empowering underserved communities and the latest to join the collective of teams driving change is the New York Knicks. According to the BX Times, the team joined forces with JPMorgan Chase to gift the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School with an endowment.

The Bronx-based school is the first specialized educational institution to have a basketball-inspired academic curriculum. The charter school offers an array of programs to help inner-city youth cultivate a foundation for success, including mental health services, financial support, one-on-one in-house mentoring, scholarship funds and an anti-gun violence initiative. The $100,000 donation—which was presented to the school’s principal Dr. Kern Mojica and a group of students during a recent Knicks game—will go towards advancing the school’s mission of uplifting youth in the Bronx and beyond. The Knicks and Chase have also launched a mentorship program where executives will teach students about different career paths.

“The creation of this high school and the extraordinary work that NBA legend and Lead Trustee Earl Monroe, School Founder Dan Klores, Principal Mojica and all the teachers are providing for these students is simply remarkable,” Rich Constable, who serves as Executive Vice President of Social Impact for MSG Entertainment, shared in a statement. “We are so proud to partner with Chase on this initiative as we know that this program, as well as the financial donation, will have a tremendous impact on these students and their development.”

News about the donation comes weeks after Sacramento Kings forward Maurice “Moe” Harkless donated $50,000 to support young adults transitioning out of foster care. The Queens native’s donation has helped combat food and housing insecurity and alleviate financial adversities for over 100 families and individuals. “It really means the world to me to be able to have an impact on the city that raised me,” he said.