Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant's foundation donated $57,000 to Positive Tomorrows, a private school for homeless children in Oklahoma City. From the press release:
"Kevin continues to be a great friend to Positive Tomorrows, and he has been instrumental in helping our school grow over the last several years," said Susan Agel, President and Principal at Positive Tomorrows. "Still, we consistently turn away students due to a lack of space, and his generous contribution this year along with several anonymous donors will enable us to embark on our upcoming capital campaign debt-free. We are so grateful."
Durant has long been a supporter of Positive Tomorrows, personally delivering shoes to every child at Christmas, fulfilling the school's entire Amazon Wish List, and funding a summer break camp program. Last Christmas, Durant funded a new scratch kitchen and cafeteria that enabled the school to increase its daily capacity by 16 students in its most recent school year.
"We've already turned away over 60 students this school year, but without Kevin's generosity that number would have been much higher," said Agel. "He's been an instrumental part of our growth, and it means the world to us and to our students that he continues to believe in our children's potential and to invest their futures."
It isn't necessarily unusual for an player to continue their charitable contributions to a city after being traded a way, but it's notable in this case because of the way Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways in July. When he decided to sign with the Warriors, some fans burned their Durant jerseys, and others called him a traitor and questioned his competitiveness.
When Durant returns to Oklahoma City in February, he'll likely be greeted with an avalanche of boos. While some fans there will always see him as a villain, it's worth noting that he and his foundation did a lot of good for the community. It looks like he's not done with that, either.
