For The Future: Celebrities Who Launched Schools
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Making good decisions about a child's education is one of the most fundamentally important things a parent can do for their child. Offering children a positive, healthy, inspiring educational experience can have a life-changing effect, and open doors for their future that would otherwise not be available. Unlocking a child's full potential and providing the most optimal learning experience possible has been the focus for many celebrities that have gone on to use their influence to open schools of their very own. Huffpost helped to uncover all of the incredible schools that celebrities have invested their personal money into, and to see the phenomenal experience that this has offered to many children across the world. Let's dive into the various celebrities that have cultivated educational opportunities for children by opening schools.
Pitbull Started The Sports Leadership and Management Academy
Pitbull seems like the most unsuspecting person to open a school yet he proudly did so in the fall of 2013. He found a way to take his passion for sports and turn it into a school that can grow and expand on that passion for future generations.
His school is based in Miami and is called the Sports Leadership and Management Academy, referred to as SLAM. The fundamental elements of a regular school curriculum are taught within the school, in addition to subjects which emphasize sports and sports management.
Pitbull tells NPR, "If sports is what you love, one way or another, it’s a business you can get involved with... whether you’re a therapist, an attorney, a broadcaster.."
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Shakira Gives Back To Columbia...Eight Times Over
Shakira has taken a philanthropic approach to the opening of not one, not two, but a jaw-dropping 8 schools in her native homeland of Columbia. She recognizes that for many less fortunate families, attending school is a luxury and she wants to change that conversation. The highly successful artist has used the funds generated from her nonprofit organization to cultivate accessible schooling for children in Columbia, and remains focused on serving the disadvantaged community with continued opportunities for growth and development.
Billboard reports on Sharkira's honorable efforts, and quotes her as saying; "I want to demonstrate ... how we can change the lives, not only of the children who come to school, but also their families."
The Serena Williams Secondary School
Serena Williams has put her focus in ensuring that Kenyan families can achieve a solid educational background, even if they don't have the finances to support their own schooling. In Kenya it costs families $1 a week, per child, to attend school, but the community is so impoverished that this is highly unattainable for the majority of the population.
Serena opened The Serena Williams Secondary School in 2008 and the Wee Secondary School a few years later, and fully funds the facility to ensure that children have a free educational opportunity designed to better their futures, and the future of their families and communities as a whole.
Madonna Is Raising Malawi
Madonna has proven to have a soft spot for Malawi and has gone to great lengths to adopt children from that region. She continues to invest in the overall growth of Malawi through her charity, Raising Malawi, which she founded in 2006.
With a soft spot for helping children in need, Madonna's organization has been the catalyst for the opening of a large number of schools in the area. She has contributed to the community by offering a number of educational facilities that help educate and safeguard vulnerable children and provide opportunities for fundamental growth. She has also opened an entire children's wing at the local hospital to ensure children who need medical care have available resources.
Diddy Presents The Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School
Sean Combs, known as Diddy in the music industry, has long been an advocate for helping children that come from disadvantaged communities. He realizes that many families with low income find themselves focused on survival from day to day, leaving no room for their children to focus on educational opportunities.
In certain neighborhoods, children have very few opportunities to expand their minds and be part of creative, productive workshops or activities, which often means they find themselves attracted to the street life. In an effort to provide opportunities for disadvantaged students, and offer them healthier options to expand their horizons, Diddy founded the Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School in New York. The school was built in the neighborhood in which he was born, and says it was 'a dream come true' for him to offer this educational experience to youth in the area.
LeBron James's "I Promise"
LeBron James opened a public school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio called the 'I Promise School.' He was motivated to do something for his local community when he drew on his past experiences and challenges when he, himself was a student in that region. James was raised by a single mother and they struggled to make it to school each day because it was very challenging to find transportation to even make it in to class.
The LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron City Schools partnered to open the 'I Promise' school which has been designed to provide educational experiences for children from first grade all the way through grade 8.
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