Basketball legend Michael Jordan is giving back.
The Charlotte Hornets owner is investing half a million dollars in literacy programs for youth. The money will go to child care and community centers, and local libraries.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Jordan told reporters that he purchased the Charlotte Hornets to connect to the community. “When I took over majority control of the team, one of the biggest impacts I wanted … was to reconnect back to the community. I felt (that connection) was lost a little bit with the previous ownership, and I felt it was very important.”
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Since purchasing the team, Jordan and the Hornets have donated more than $3 million to causes that give back to the community including education, hunger, the military, and wellness. Carolyn Hazeldine of Child Care Resources Inc., one of the organizations that will receive a portion of the $500,000, said, “He’s a local celebrity who can give to a lot of causes, but when he chooses to give to early literacy, it puts a face on the issue, It tells people in the community that this is important.”
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