WHAT: NFL wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. is teaming up with UnitedHealthcare to upgrade the gymnasium at J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy in Detroit's Morningside neighborhood.
The project is part of an $11,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare to Marvin Jones Jr's Dreambuilders program. The program has partnered with City Year, which places AmeriCorps members inside Clark prep and other schools in Detroit to provide academic and mentor support to disadvantaged children. In addition to the $11,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare to provide the gym upgrade at Clark, Marvin's Dreambuilders program raised an additional $20,000 for City Year in Detroit through his "Scores For Kids" campaign last season, which asked fans to pledge money for each Lions touchdown
Jones will join employee volunteers from UnitedHealthcare at the school on Thursday, May 18 to unveil the new gym renovations to the students.
The upgrades include the installation of four new basketball backboards replacing the previous backboards that were used for the last 20 years. The lockers within the gym received a fresh coat of paint and a series of panel murals were created for the gym's walls by UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers, who arrived earlier in the day to paint the walls.
WHO:Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions wide receiver
Demond Thomas, principal of J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy
Tim DiMartino, VP, sales and account management, UnitedHealthcare of Michigan
Andrew Stein, City Year Detroit's executive director
Clark Prep students
UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers * *
WHEN:Thursday, May 18
2 p.m. – announcement to students and media availability with Marvin Jones and all guests
WHERE:J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy (gymnasium) - 15755 Bremen St, Detroit, MI 48224
