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DALLAS – Thousands of North Texas children will soon return to school sporting bright blue Dallas Mavericks backpacks, notebooks, supplies, and personal protection equipment – all courtesy of their hometown NBA basketball team and the Mavs Foundation.

“The Mavericks are more than a sports franchise for Dallas,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. “The organization is part of the fabric of the city.”

The Mavs have supported numerous back-to-school community events during the last few weeks, including the 24th annual Dallas Mayor’s Back to School Fair that took place August 20-21 at Fair Park.

The annual event serves as a one-stop-shop for financially insecure families to receive plenty of necessary supplies and resources to give children an equal chance to succeed in the classroom. Mavs Champ was on hand to greet the thousands of families that walked to the event and lined up in cars to receive necessary supplies and resources in preparation for the upcoming school year.

This year’s event was more critical than ever for families because the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased needs in our city, Mayor Johnson said.

“No matter what school looks like, our children deserve to be set up for success,” he added. “As a parent and as someone who grew up in underserved communities in Dallas, I am incredibly grateful that we can provide school supplies to families in need during these difficult times.”

The Mavericks have long served as supporters and partners of the Dallas Mayor’s Back to School, and this year donated Mavs notebooks, transparent drawstring backpacks, Mavs face masks, and hand sanitizers. Also, the organization provided Mavs masks for the hundreds of volunteers working at the event.

Emily Luth serves as the community relations manager of the Dallas Mavericks and Mavs Foundation. She accompanied Mavs Champ to this year’s Dallas Mayor’s Back to School Fair, an event that officials said reached more than 9,000 registered students.

“You could feel the excitement and energy from the volunteers prepping to give away school supplies,” Luth shared. “There was a sense of unity as everyone was coming together again to support our community. People lined up for hours before it opened, and I think that really shows the needs we have in Dallas right now.”

In the past, the event would provide everything from haircuts to health screenings to games for children, but the COVID-19 restrictions required this year’s event to be more of a drive-through system. Mayor Johnson said the support of the Dallas Mavericks is especially meaningful and important to the Dallas community.

“The Mavericks make us proud when they compete on the court, but they make their most significant impact by showing up and helping out when the city faces major challenges,” Mayor Johnson shared. “Dallas loves the Mavericks, and we are thrilled to have the team supporting our kids as they learn and grow.”

In late September, the Mavericks will also volunteer and donate t-shirts and supplies at various back-to-school events in Cedar Hill, Desoto, Grand Prairie, Lancaster, and Mesquite. Furthermore, Dallas ISD students and teachers will receive thousands of personal protective equipment (PPE) items courtesy of the organization.

Just recently, the Mavericks provided support at the sixth annual For Oak Cliff event. The children and youth received Mavs backpacks and notebooks at four locations throughout the 75216 zip code, known as “The Superblock.”

Furthermore, Community Partners of Dallas received 100 Mavs backpacks and notebooks for at-risk children and youth in the social services system.

The Mavs have pumped nearly 3-million dollars in the local community during the last six-plus months since the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived through various initiatives and endeavors. The organization provided support of part-time and hourly workers to minimize the adverse financial impact that was felt by staff who would have staffed games this season at American Airlines Center. More than 800 scheduled event staff members benefited from the funds.

Furthermore, team owner Mark Cuban, guard Luka Dončić and center Dwight Powell teamed up with the Dallas Mavericks Foundation back in May to donate $500,000 to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. Funds provided childcare for healthcare workers on the COVID-19 response effort’s frontlines during this unprecedented time.

“We can’t thank our healthcare workers enough for putting their patients’ well-being before their own,” said Cuban. “I am thankful to Luka and Dwight as we partner up to support healthcare workers who are doing everything they can to keep our community healthy.”

When the NBA returned to action in late July, the Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Foundation, and jersey patch sponsor Chime launched a new ‘Chime in for a Cause’ initiative that raised over $100K in funds distributed to eight local charities. In addition, the Mavs Foundation donated the Mavs Computer Lab at Arlington Life Shelter and the doors officially opened last month and now provides valuable resources to both homeless individuals and impoverished families.

The sparkling new Mavs Computer Lab at Arlington Life Shelter is the 45th learn and play space donated by the Mavs Foundation in the last 24 years. It boasts brand-new desktop computers, headphones, desks, chairs, and other digital gadgets.

The Dallas Mavericks and Mavs Foundation has also donated thousands of PPE items to the medical community and created initiatives like the Mavs Take ACTION plant to address racial inequalities and drive sustainable change. The Mavs have also quietly pledged a minimum $5-million investment toward the DFW community in the next three years and committed to 10,000 employee volunteer hours to meet critical needs for underserved people. Furthermore, the Mavericks also donated 100,000 units of hand sanitizer to nonprofits, police, and civic organizations.

The back-to-school donations are just the latest endeavor the Mavs hope can impact the community amid the global pandemic and economic hardships that have hit North Texas families especially hard this summer.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently playing in the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs and will hit the court Tuesday to face the L.A. Clippers in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series (8 p.m. tip, FSSW, TNT).

From Dallas to Orlando to classrooms and community centers, the entire organization is “All In” to serve MFFLs around the globe, both on the court and in the community. It’s a long-standing commitment that has been woven in the team’s history for the last 40 years.

 

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