Although he’s leaving Cleveland for Los Angeles, LeBron James has made yet another investment to his hometown of Akron, Ohio. The basketball superstar, in conjunction with the Akron school board, launched the I Promise School this week, a school designed for at-risk kids who are struggling in the classroom and at home.

One of its core initiatives? Each of the 240 students will receive a bicycle and helmet.

This program isn’t the first time James has gifted bikes to young children. His foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, has made bikes a staple of its outreach program. And that’s largely because of what cycling meant for James as a kid in Akron: It gave him an escape.

“LeBron’s bike gave him the mobility he needed to get to safe places after school like basketball courts and community centers,” Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation told Bicycling by e-mail. “Those two wheels gave him access to opportunities and resources he couldn’t have gotten otherwise.”

In 2008, in one of the foundation’s earliest efforts in Akron, James participated in a bike-a-thon in which he rode through the streets with students and families. But it was a one-and-done, said Campbell.



“LeBron knew he could do more,” she said.

So, in 2011, James launched a program called Wheels for Education, in which every new class of third graders was given a new bike and helmet. That program has since evolved into the I Promise School.

“It’s important to LeBron that his students receive bikes because he knows how much he needed his when he was growing up. His family didn’t have a car, so if he wanted to get anywhere, he had to ride,” said Campbell. “It allowed him to stay safe and out of harm’s way. That’s what LeBron hopes his kids will get out of these bikes.”

Not to mention, having access to a bike is a good way to get outside and stay active, something James advocates among his charges.

Moving forward, every student in the I Promise School will receive a Huffy bike and helmet. The program has also partnered with the Summit Cycling Center and the Bike Kitchen in downtown Akron, where the students can take their bikes for repair and maintenance.

“We want to make sure we’re thinking of everything the students might need so they can focus on earning their educations,” said Campbell.

The bikes are just part of the I Promise School initiative. The school, which started classes Monday, will run longer than a normal school year and focus on bringing kids who are behind up to speed with the curriculum. The school will also provide services to families, like job placement help and an on-site food bank, according to SBNation.

Heather Mayer Irvine Freelance Writer Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World and the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook

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