LeBron James is bringing more goodwill to his hometown of Akron, Ohio, with new state-of-the-art employment development and financial literacy center.
This week, the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) announced that it's opening a 60,000-square-foot complex that aims to provide services like financial literacy training, job skills training and recreational spaces for local youth. The House Three Thirty project will feature amenities like a coffee café and a dining area and will be available to residents of the city, according to Time.
The number “330” is important to James because it is the area code that represents Akron, once a booming auto industry hub, formerly known as the rubber capital of the world.
He described the new location as a safe haven for all residents.
“House 330 is going to be a sanctuary for our families,” James said. “It’s going to be a place where all our families can grow and learn. This will be a hub for everything possible our families will need.”
In July 2018, just before he left Cleveland for Los Angeles to play with the Lakers, James spoke at the opening of his I Promise School. The NBA champion also established the I Promise Village, a transitional housing community, for families of students who attend the school, as Blavity previously reported.
The idea for House Three Thirty grew from talks the LJFF team had with families who moved to the I Promise Village about ways they could further improve the lives of students, according to Time.
“It really started, much like everything we do, from the ground up," Michele Campbell, executive director of LJFF, said. “You have a more intimate relationship when you have people living in your building 24/7. We started listening to some of the struggles with employment and job training and really digging deeper with our families. So we learned pretty quickly that the next part of the movement if you’re to going to change the trajectory of a whole community, was we need that job-training piece.”
Students and families living on campus can work at casual dining establishments and retail stores in the area, while receiving hands-on job training in fields like carpentry, accounting, event planning, merchandising, and more. James’ team is also partnering with JPMorgan Chase to provide a private space where bankers can meet with families and discuss individualized advice to improve financial health.
Earlier this week, the foundation bought the Tangier, a local landmark entertainment complex, to renovate it into a space to develop House Three Thirty, The Akron Beacon Journal reported. The Tangier was once a famed locale for popular showcases from performers like Tina Turner and the Temptations.
"They have great design people. I'm sure it will be in good taste," Ed George, the former Tangier owner, said. "I think you will see something that looks good on Market Street. I know the future is bright with this facility. I know the future is bright for the LeBron James Family Foundation."
Dick’s Sporting Goods has offered to help the foundation transform the top of the Tangier parking garage into a youth sports complex that could include three basketball courts, a soccer field, and another separate recreational space, Time reported.
James’ mixed-use complex is expected to be open to the public in 2022, and it is likely to feature a museum dedicated to James, the defending NBA Finals MVP when it opens. In December, Time named the four-time NBA MVP its "Athlete of the Year."
