In a ceremony this afternoon at the McKinley Burt and Charlotte Lewis Albina Head Start Center (4919 NE 17th St.), the Portland Trail Blazers and Toyota unveiled a new Reading and Learning Center.

The new Reading and Learning Center – a converted storage room – was unveiled this afternoon in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Trail Blazers alumni Jerome Kersey, Kevin Duckworth, Bob Gross and Dale Schlueter as well as principles from Head Start, Toyota and the Trail Blazers. The center, designed by the Trail Blazers, will help the school’s preschool-aged children embrace education by providing vast educational resources, including computers, books, instruments and crafts.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Blaze, the Trail Blazers mascot, gave the students a tour of the facility and hosted a fun-filled outdoor reception, complete with face painting, snow cones and hot dogs.

“We take a great deal of pride in our long-time partnership with Albina Head Start,” Trail Blazers President Larry Miller said. “Toyota’s generosity allowed us to extend that relationship by providing the pre-school aged students here with resources that will help them achieve success in school and in life.”

The construction of this center, and a Reading and Learning Center to be completed this summer at the Garlington Albina Head Start Center, were funded in part by Toyota Project Rebound, an NBA-wide community outreach initiative established by the NBA and Toyota to serve several NBA communities.

The program includes 15 hands-on community service projects hosted by teams throughout the NBA and WNBA, including court refurbishments, the creation of Learn & Play Centers, and other Legacy Projects providing youth safe places to live, learn or play.

“Toyota Project Rebound is a program that will positively affect communities for years to come,” said Greg Leonard, President of the Portland Metro Toyota Dealers Association. “We’re committed to social responsibility, and it’s an honor to partner with the Trail Blazers and Head Start to benefit Portland.”

The Trail Blazers partnership with Head Start spans more than two decades and includes the contribution of nearly $1 million to help fund the building of the McCormack Matthews Albina Head Start Center from the Trail Blazers, former Trail Blazer Damon Stoudamire and team owner Paul Allen.

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