“The coronavirus is turning everyone’s world upside-down.” NBA player Aaron Gordon perfectly encapsulated everyone’s feelings about the COVID-19 pandemic. People around the globe can today attest to how the pandemic personally affected their lives. Some people lost their jobs, others found their new or even long-running businesses shut down. For Stephen Curry’s wife Ayesha Curry, who had launched the ‘Eat. Learn. Play Foundation’ in 2019, the pandemic was a big challenge. It hampered her foundation’s goal to provide nutritious meals and quality reading resources to those in need. However, by looking at the issue as an opportunity, Mrs Curry instead chose to see how the foundation could thrive.

Earlier today, it was announced that Steph and Ayesha’s ‘Eat. Learn. Play Foundation’ successfully pledged over $25 million to the Oakland School Community. When discussing this move, Mrs Curry revealed how the non-profit organization was created “in the midst of the pandemic, or right before the pandemic hitting.” Instead of looking at the changed scenario as a “negative,” she sought “positive” outcomes. After all, 2020 was a year when youth needed their help the most.

“I hate that feeling, and I hate the thought of a parent having to feel like they can’t nurture their child and help them press forward, and I hate the thought of a child feeling like because they don’t have the resources, they can’t be who they want to be,” Ayesha revealed. Raising kids, the 35-year-old is well aware of the issues parents face. Therefore, she was motivated to spread the message of the foundation by imagining how other families were thriving.

Ayesha revealed that the pandemic allowed the foundation to “serve a greater community, see what was needed in a very fast paced way, and it allowed us to become extremely efficient as an organization.”

According to the official website of the foundation, local restaurants were reportedly paid $10 per meal. Thanks to this, and in coordination with World Central Kitchen, the Ayesha-led initiative allowed the preparation and distribution of over 2.6 million restaurant meals within the Oakland community during the pandemic’s first year. Funding was provided to help the Oakland Unified School District activate the ‘remote meal distribution plan’, which allowed over 90,000 meals to be distributed weekly. The money provided to the local restaurants had a trickle-down effect, as over 130 Oakland restaurants closed due to the pandemic were able to re-open and hire back their staff!

While the pandemic could have provided Ayesha with the perfect excuse to step away, she instead chose to instil some hope in a world where the people were united in looking to overcome the dangers of Covid-19. Four years later, and the Currys are not looking to bow out. If one needs an example of that, then all they need to do is check the $25 million they recently pledged!

How Stephen Curry and Ayesha plan to help Oakland Community with their $25 million pledge?

According to reports, the $25 million that the NBA power couple has pledged will not be handed out immediately. Instead, it will be raised over five years. This amount will be used to bridge the literacy gap by providing 10,000 spots for elementary school students who fall behind in reading. One-on-one professional tutoring may also be made possible for many, with the amount raised. The Currys will not be alone in their initiative, as the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) are also planning to invest $25 million in small-group tutoring. By 2029, they hope to reach their target of having tutored 4,500 students per year.

“This commitment is about more than just closing the literacy gap—it’s about giving these kids the confidence to succeed in all areas of life” wrote Steph and Ayesha in an official statement.

The pledge comes just a day after Curry signed on to a 1-year, $62.6 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors. Whether that is what led the player to be extra generous or not, no one can deny the impact that the ‘Eat. Learn. Play Foundation’ plays in making the world a better place.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.