BATON ROUGE — Members of the LSU women’s basketball team joined former Lady Tiger All-American and current WNBA guard Temeka Johnson and her H.O.P.E. Foundation in donating 50 pairs of Nike sneakers to deserving honor students at Magnolia Woods Elementary School in Baton Rouge on Thursday.
In 2008, Johnson and the Heaven Opens People’s Eyes (H.O.P.E.) Foundation adopted the elementary school as its inaugural school in the foundation’s “Adopt-a-School” program. Following up on promises made to the students, Johnson, worked with Nike to select students based on academic success.
“The students worked hard to bring up their grades and achieve success academically,” said Johnson. “This is just a start of much more to come. In just a little bit of time, we’ve been able to have some smart boards placed in the classrooms, and we’re also working on getting some mats for the gym classes. Since I spent some time playing in Israel this offseason, I haven’t had as much time as I would like to spend with the school, but I made it a priority to make sure I saw the students and told them how proud I was of their accomplishments.”
Joining Johnson on the school’s stage were LSU student-athletes Destini Hughes, LaSondra Barrett, Taylor Turnbow, Erica Williams, Swayze Black and Katherine Graham. Graham said the experience is a lesson on how to serve as a role model and give back to the community.
“It was a great experience because we got to see all of the kids and how Temeka gives back,” said Graham, who was recently named a member of the 2008-09 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll. “Temeka is a great example of how you are supposed to give back to the community, and we were happy to be a part of it.”
“The excitement the kids have when they receive their shoes really makes it all worthwhile,” Graham added. “It makes you feel good when you put a smile on a child’s face. It is a great incentive to get them to work hard in the classroom. I’m looking forward to our next visit in a few weeks.”
“It’s amazing at how much Temeka is devoted to our school and our students,” said Donna Wallette, Principal at Magnolia Woods Elementary School. “The students love her, and are encouraged by her words, support and efforts through HOPE’s Adopt-a-School program.”
Heaven Opens People’s Eyes was launched during the summer of 2008. The foundation was established by Johnson, to provide H.O.P.E. to people across the world.
H.O.P.E’s goal is to inspire youth, families and communities to reach their own goals and objectives and lead a more emotionally healthy lifestyle. For additional information on H.O.P.E., visit their website at www.MeeksHOPE.org.