Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – He’s led the league in assists each of the past two seasons, yet it’s the type of assist Chris Paul was able to provide off the court Tuesday that matters most to him.
Paul, State Farm and the Chris Paul Family Foundation joined forces to launch the new “Exist to Assist” Community Program in an effort to execute community assists across the country, beginning with Brotherhood Crusade in Los Angeles.
“This is the true meaning of assist,” Paul said. “I’m sure some of you guys see Cliff Paul here and there and think about an assist in the boardroom or on the basketball court, but this is the greatest assist of it all.”
Throughout the next year, the Chris Paul Family Foundation and State Farm will join together in the Exist to Assist program to identify causes they can support with a specific assist, from refurbishing schools to building new basketball courts or donating supplies.
The inaugural assist recipient was Brotherhood Crusade, an organization dedicated to raising funds and resources for charitable initiatives, including job training, teen counseling, after-school and sports activities and need-based scholarships to put kids on the right path to success. The technology center will be refurbished and unveiled at an Exist to Assist event later this fall.
“When I come to these events, it’s not just about me,” Paul said. “It’s a bigger group behind everything that we do. Although every shot I made or missed has been archived – you can probably go on YouTube and see it – this is the stuff that really matters, the things that really change peoples’ lives. The technology that we’re putting in here will hopefully last a lot longer than those shots.”
Standing next to Paul at the announcement were State Farm director of brand content Patty Morris and president/CEO of Brotherhood Crusade Charisse Bremond Weaver. Morris said all of the groups involved share a passion for strengthening communities.
“Being a good neighbor, to us, is not defined by where you live,” Morris said. “It’s defined by your actions. The Chris Paul Family Foundation, along with State Farm, believe that we can go in and solve some of these problems and enable people to help others along the way.”
Weaver she’s grateful and thankful that Paul not only gives his all on the court, but also in the community.
“This is a game changer,” she said. “This is a game changer for our institution, it’s a game changer for our community.”
Paul emphasized that the partnership is all about giving others an opportunity. It’s been a mission for Paul and for the Chris Paul Family Foundation to help put as many children as possible on a level playing field.
“I’m a firm believer that because you’re brought up on a certain part of town doesn’t mean you should have less opportunities than someone else,” Paul said.
The Clippers’ star point guard spoke to the children at the event and told them to always be grateful, thankful and respectful to the people around them. He also tried to provide some motivation.
“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t be something,” Paul said. “I’m 5’11” maybe, maybe 6 feet on a good day, and all my brother’s friends when I was a kid told me I was too small to be in the NBA.”
Paul answered questions from the kids at Brotherhood Crusade, detailing how he used to work at his late grandfather’s service station as a child, and he’d also make time to help kids in the afterschool program. He also worked in another program to help a child at an elementary school. For Paul, he wanted to instill the importance of giving back any way possible.
Brotherhood Crusade chair member Danny J. Bakewell and Dr. George McKenna, who’s on the board of directors, were both on hand to thank Paul, describing how appreciative they were of his impact in the community.
“I want to say this to State Farm,” Bakewell said, “you got it right when you picked Chris Paul.”