The National Basketball Wives Association and Morgan Stanley have partnered together to donate more than 15,000 books to 5,000 students in under-resourced areas that have been impacted by current shelter in place orders. NBWA organized the “Spread Love Fest,” a virtual ‘party with a purpose’ that tapped hip-hop artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, MC LYTE, to host and DJ the experience on Instagram Live, Friday, April 17th from 8-10 p.m. ET. The initiative is tied to the NBWA’s “Books & Ball” program which works with the nonprofit First Book to close the gap on educational inequities.
“The NBWA has always had the mission to support youth education and during this challenging period in our world, we wanted to do our part to ensure that as many students as possible have access to educational resources at home while many schools are unable to operate inside of their physical buildings,” said Mia Wright, President of the NBWA.
The NBWA and Morgan Stanley’s partnership first came to fruition at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles in 2018 as part of a sponsorship for NBWA’s Women’s Empowerment Summit. Since that time, Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports and Entertainment division has sponsored similar events during NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte in 2019 and most recently, All-Star Weekend 2020 in Chicago.
“Morgan Stanley applauds the NBWA’s commitment and dedication to youth education during this difficult time,” said Sandra L. Richards, Managing Director, Head of Global Sports & Entertainment, Wealth Management with Morgan Stanley. “Now more than ever, it is our duty to leverage our relationships and our resources to make a positive impact in the world, particularly in some of our most vulnerable communities. This type of work directly aligns with Morgan Stanley’s mission to re-invest in the communities of our clients and partners and we’re honored to participate in the program.”
—
Photo Credit: Jeff Bukowski / Shutterstock.com