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Lace Up to Give Kids a Shot that Can’t Be Blocked! The Skyhook Foundation, Los Angeles Unified, and UCLA Partner to provide 1,000 LAUSD Students with Shoes and Backpacks (11-18-25)

News Release               Contact: Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez, UCLA, rmackovich@stratcomm.ucla.edu

November 17, 2025                 

John McDonald, UCLA, jmcdonald@gseis.ucla.edu

Daryl Strickland | LA Unified | daryl.strickland@lausd.net 

 

Lace Up to Give Kids a Shot that Can’t Be Blocked! The Skyhook Foundation, Los Angeles Unified, and UCLA Partner to provide 1,000 LAUSD Students with Shoes and Backpacks

Los Angeles Unified School District, UCLA Community School, UCLA Alumni Association, and Skyhook Foundation come together to support students and families.

 

Quick look

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Skyhook Foundation will donate 1,000 pairs of Adidas shoes and backpacks to 4th, 5th and 6th graders attending Los Angeles Unified schools, all of whom are eligible to participate in the outdoor experiential STEAM program at Camp Skyhook in the Angeles National Forest. 
  • The in-person distribution event will take place on Monday, November 17, 2025, at noon at the UCLA Community School on the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) campus in the Los Angeles Unified School District,
  • The event brings together the Los Angeles Unified, the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the UCLA Alumni Association and UCLA Foundation with the Skyhook Foundation to support students and families in the local community and encourage kids to “lace up” and explore the STEAM that they encounter in their environments every day.

The Skyhook Foundation is teaming up with Adidas to provide 1,000 pairs of athletic shoes and backpacks to Los Angeles Unified students in grades 4–6—ensuring they’re ready and equipped to explore their environments and examine how that relates back to the work they do in the classroom.

“The Skyhook Foundation grew out of my desire to give children an opportunity to change their lives and their communities through STEAM education.  Camp Skyhook 'Gives Kids a Shot that Can't Be Blocked.  We recognize that knowledge is power,” said Kareem Abdul Jabbar, founder of the Skyhook Foundation.  “The Skyhook “Lace up for learning" event is a step in the growth of our service to our communities to help get kids exploring their local environments and build upon the STEAM foundation that our school are providing.

 

“I am grateful to my alma mater UCLA and, in particular, the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies as well as the UCLA Alumni Association and Foundation, for their assistance in making the Lace UP LA event come to life.”  

 

The “Lace Up” event brought together the Los Angeles Unified School District, the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and UCLA Community School, the UCLA Alumni Association, and the Skyhook Foundation to support students and families. UCLA basketball legend and founder of the Skyhook Foundation Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined in the event, meeting with students, community members and educators at the school. Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and Christine Christie, Dean of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies also joined in the festivities.

 

“Los Angeles Unified extends its sincere gratitude to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Skyhook Foundation, the UCLA Alumni Association, and their partners for their generosity and commitment to our students. This partnership reflects our shared dedication to uplifting communities through education,” said Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “By providing our students with the tools and encouragement they need to succeed, we continue to advance our mission of ensuring that every child is supported, inspired, and empowered to reach their full potential.”


“This generous gift from the Skyhook Foundation provides meaningful support that we deeply appreciate and believe will inspire our students to do their best and continue striving toward their goals,” added Queena Kim, Principal of the UCLA Community School. “In particular, I’d like to express my appreciation to the Skyhook Foundation's CEO, Deborah Morales.  Without her work, this event today would not be possible.”

 

The event took place at the UCLA Community School, one of six community schools on the RFK educational campus in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Founded in 2009, the UCLA Community School is a nationally recognized TK–12 community school serving students in the Koreatown – Pico Union neighborhoods of Los Angeles. More than 90 percent of the school’s graduates plan to attend college Part of a unique partnership among the Los Angeles Unified School District and the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the school stands as a model and source of inspiration of teacher-led instruction, learning, collaboration, shared decision-making, and family and community engagement for community schools across California.

 

“Our school is a testament to all that is possible when students, families, educators, and community members unite around a shared commitment to opportunity and excellence,” said Christina Christie, Wasserman Dean of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. “We are honored to partner with the Skyhook Foundation in supporting our students and the community that makes this work possible.”

 

The UCLA Community School is located on the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) education campus, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The 24-acre RFK campus, the former site of the Ambassador Hotel, is home to six TK-Grade 12 community schools offering a rigorous and personalized instructional program that embodies the social justice legacy of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

 

The Skyhook Foundation, founded by UCLA and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, aims to "Give Kids a Shot That Can't Be Blocked" by bridging the educational gap and preparing students for future jobs in STEM. The Foundation has provided critical support to schools and students through partnerships with LA Unified. Its flagship program, Camp Skyhook, gives fourth, fifth and sixth grade students immersive, hands-on experiences in nature to spark their interest in these fields.

 

“I founded the Skyhook Foundation with a simple mission: ‘Give Kids a Shot That Can’t be Blocked,” said Jabbar. Through the innovative outdoor environmental learning that the Los Angeles Unified provides at Camp Skyhook, we’re bringing real‑world STEM opportunities to underserved communities. By taking learning into the outdoors, students can soar above the four walls of the classroom. Skyhook and the Los Angeles Unified will continue to make science, technology, engineering, and math interactive, multi‑sensory, relevant—and, most important, fun.  This latest effort is another way to make that happen in our communities.”
 

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