Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar signs an autograph for a boy at a free clinic hosted by the Lakers for underprivileged children in Washington, D.C.

Through networking with numerous community outreach organizations NBA Cares has made it possible for players, employees and even fans to become more directly involved in taking positive action in the well-being of a vast number of communities. 

A recent example of the community outreach efforts of NBA Cares took place on January 25, 2010, the morning the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were set to make their White House visit to be congratulated by President Barack Obama.  In the midst of an eight-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers invited a class of 30 children from Stanton Elementary School in Washington, D.C.—of which 92.2 percent of the student population is classified as “Low-Income” as of 2006, according to a Washington Post report—for a clinic in which they were given the opportunity to take part in drills to learn basketball fundamentals from professional NBA players; and for a talk on the benefits and importance of building solid habits for maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle to one’s overall well-being and quality of life.

The community outreach efforts of NBA Cares are not limited to league players or employees.  NBA Cares also helps to provide its network of community outreach organizations with support by providing links to volunteer opportunities on its website through which you can become involved in taking positive action in your community.