AKRON, Ohio – The J.M. Smucker Company on Thursday announced a $1 million donation to the LeBron James Family Foundation to support the development of a gym and family center at Akron’s I Promise School.

Construction is slated to begin this year on the so-called “HomeTown Hall” on the school’s campus on West Market Street in Akron’s West Hill neighborhood, the foundation said in a news release.

The facility will function as a gymnasium for physical education and sports, and as a gathering space for school-wide assemblies. As part of the school’s “We Are Family” approach to education, HomeTown Hall will also host events for students’ family members, including a monthly dinner for I Promise School families.

“The J.M. Smucker Company’s support has allowed our students and our families to thrive in ways we never dreamed possible,” said Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “With their commitment, the HomeTown Hall will become an incredible, state-of-the-art gathering space that will bring our students and families together as we continue to help them along their journeys.”

I Promise School is a public school for 343 of Akron’s most at-risk third-, fourth- and fifth-graders that is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation. The school includes a Family Resource Wing for students’ family members that includes a GED preparation classroom, financial literacy programs, medical, dental and vision care, laundry facilities and a food pantry.

Smucker’s has supported the I Promise School since it opened in 2018, including donations to the pantry, library and a corporate volunteer day.

“Through their work at the I Promise School, the LeBron James Family Foundation has created an innovative and promising new model for supporting students and families who have traditionally been challenging to reach,” said Jill Penrose, chief people and administrative officer for the J.M. Smucker Company. “Our passion for supporting families and children has always been a core value of our company.”

In May 2019, LeBron James made a surprise visit to Akron to tell I Promise School students that they would be getting a gym. The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation also contributed a $1 million grant toward the gym.

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