Just a few days ago, a new Starbucks opened its doors. In fact, this in itself is not news, given that there are already 38,832 more in 80 countries before this. But this one on West Market Street in Akron, Ohio, next to a bank and a garage and surrounded by a few abandoned shops, is like no other. Not only because he belongs LeBron James, but also because the 46 people who work there, in addition to their salary, will also receive a professional training certificate for the hospitality industry at the end of their journey. It is also part of the efforts made by the “king” 12 years ago to fight poverty in his hometown by addressing its root causes.

Thank you Akron for spending #330Day join us and celebrate the opening of House Three Thirty! We can’t wait to create even more special moments in our home throughout 2023. See you tomorrow at 6 am for a cup of coffee. 😊💚 pic.twitter.com/SzSFwXg3Nm

— LeBron James Family Foundation (@LJFamFoundation) March 31, 2023

The entire plan has to do with the LeBron James Family Foundation, which owns I Promise School, which opened in 2018 and supports children from lower social classes or disadvantaged backgrounds by providing them with a stable learning environment, as well as free tutoring and meals, and guaranteed education for those who continue their studies at the City University. In addition, parents of school students are hired by specific local businesses where they can get a high school diploma. This is exactly where it fits into the puzzle and the Starbucks that LeBron James opened.

“It changed my life”

The manager of the new store, Alexis Schuler, has experience in campus stores. “It changed my life a lot. I went from being a barista at Starbucks to being a manager and it gave me a whole new perspective on the hospitality industry. It gave me an understanding that I didn’t have before,” said Schuler, mother of a child who walks to LeBron’s school.

But there are other elements that make this cafe even more unique. The basement contains a wine cellar designed by LeBron and his longtime partner Maverick Carter, a cozy bar and lounge donated by LeBron’s financial advisor and the tequila company he works for, a LeBron-named sports bar and grill, and a museum. , which will recreate the 602 Spring Hill apartment where he lived with his mother Gloria for years before the Cavaliers selected him with the first pick in the 2003 draft.

After two years of overhaul, our biggest project will debut tomorrow here in beautiful Akron, Ohio.

Welcome to the house of three thirty! Our innovative multipurpose space for I Promise families, the entire Akron community and visitors from all over the world. 💚 pic.twitter.com/IjqXvxkFeH

— LeBron James Family Foundation (@LJFamFoundation) March 29, 2023

The cafe is located in a renovated nightclub that the “royal” charity bought in 2020 and is now called House Three Thirty (the area code for Akron’s phone numbers is 330, which explains the date of the grand opening: March 30). By the end of 2024, House Three Thirty will include a Mexican restaurant, an ice cream shop and a clothing store, as well as hosting smaller concerts and weddings.

At the moment, only Starbucks and Chase Bank are open. “Employees” like Schuler, called “team members” in LeBron Foundation parlance, don’t just work at Starbucks or El Paso’s Taco Shop or LeBron James Sports Bar (when they open). They will all be trained in every aspect of every business at House Three Thirty, from event planning and catering to housekeeping. They get paid and at the same time receive student loans in order to successfully complete their studies and receive a certificate.
“I’d say it’s an ‘eternal project,'” Michelle Campbell, the first and only executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation, The Athletic of NYT, said earlier this year. “I feel like what we’re building here in Akron is how to run the community differently and how to think differently and how to be thoughtful and strategic and meet people where they are.”

Project “House three thirty”.

All of this, the public school, the college scholarships for the kids, housing for their families, and now it’s all wrapped up in House Three Thirty, it all started almost twelve years ago with a rare mistake by LeBron. It was the end of James’ tumultuous first season with the Miami Heat, the season in which he was first treated as a villain in almost every NBA arena due to leaving the Cavs last summer. The Heat had just lost Game 6 of the 2011 Finals to the series-winning Dallas Mavericks, and after the game, James said, in part, “All the people who rooted for my failure will wake up tomorrow and have the same life as before they woke up today.” Even the people most strongly on his side were surprised by his statement.
LeBron decided to take a two-week vacation after the toughest season of his professional career. He returned to his home in the suburbs between Cleveland and Akron and decided to meet only with his closest associates and friends. “We sat down and talked at length about what’s going on in his life from a business standpoint, wherever he plays basketball, whatever business he starts, there’s one thing that will stay the same in his life and that’s Akron.” he said. Campbell added: about his life, about why he ended up in the NBA, about the people who supported him during the difficult years of his life, he decided that he had to do something to help kids like him. I think it was one of the most important moments in his life.”

LeBron James had already organized several popular charity events in Akron, but now he had a much more important mission ahead of him. Campbell reached out to the city’s public schools and tried to figure out what were the most important reasons a child might drop out before they even enter high school. Answer: Many of them never learn to read and eventually drop out of school. So the LeBron Foundation created an after-school program to help these children learn to read, but in the process discovered the root causes of the problem, from malnutrition, domestic problems to financial pressure on adults (or adults). Houses.

The LeBron James mentorship program targeted all at-risk youth at Akron Public School starting in third grade. This required monitoring of his school and extracurricular activities. The kids received personal letters and phone calls from the NBA superstar, and the parents received money for shopping or televisions, computers, and clothing from various LeBron sponsors.

Improved student outcomes

A few years later, the school administration noticed that the reading scores and standardized test scores of the children participating in the program improved, while the chances of these students to actually graduate from school increased. With this in mind, LeBron wanted to give another boost by providing college scholarships to the University of Akron and later Kent State and Stark State Community Colleges for every student at the institution who graduated from Akron Public High School. So in 2018, when he left Cleveland for the second time to go to Los Angeles and the Lakers, he also opened School I Promise, in which he incorporated all the principles from his coaching program. The school has a food pantry for needy families, a work and family service center, and a crisis management unit. At the same time, he has a shelter for the families of his program, also on the same street as Starbucks, while he also bought abandoned buildings to open his own clinic, for all those who do not have access to hospitals. .

“Everything we do as an institution is about making our children, parents and people across the community believe that they can have more in life than they ever dreamed of,” LeBron James said at the celebration opening House Three Thirty.

With LeBron James… the flag bearer, many of his associates and sponsors wanted to join him in this endeavor, offering not only money but material goods. As such, Chase Bank’s House Three Thirty branch provides training to families participating in the program. The clothing sold in the store is made by Nike and Homage of Ohio. Pepsi, Smucker, Old El Paso and Lobos 1707 (James’ brand of tequila) are partners in the foundation.

Of course, all of the above would not be possible without hiring dedicated employees who collaborate with experts in every field. For example, the I Promise School curriculum was developed in collaboration with Ohio and Akron public school principals, with input from local university faculty.

A new Starbucks opened a few days ago in Akron, Ohio, and it’s definitely one of a kind…

Source: Athletic, New York Times.