Jerome Williams, the National Basketball Retired Players Association Chapters Legends, and EVERFI to Hold 'Legends Shooting for Peace' Program at SPIRE Academy

CLEVELAND, Feb. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) Legends will team up on Thursday with social impact education innovator EVERFI to bring 306: African American History™ to SPIRE Institute & Academy (IA) student athletes and select young adults from the local Thrive Scholars Program.

The 306: African American History™ curriculum, created and distributed by EVERFI, explores key themes of African American history through important primary texts and compelling vignettes. Following the digital curriculum demonstration with NBRPA Legends, scholar-athletes will participate in a panel led by Jerome Williams and special guests around African American History, an HBCU scholarship presentation, and an NBA-style combine led by NBA Hall of Famers Dikembe Mutombo and Mitch Richmond.

Young adults from the surrounding community are invited to participate in the style combine as well.

"I am proud to partner with Everfi in bringing our Shooting for Peace program to help promote the important work that they are doing with the 306 African American History module," said Jerome Williams, "Shooting for Peace is about empowering young people in being on a trajectory for success in their lives, and we are thrilled that this year will mark over $10 million dollars of college scholarships that we will have provided young people who are invested in making good choices for their future. Being an athlete who took the journey from middle school to high school, high school to college, and ultimately was fortunate enough to play basketball professionally was the reason that I formed IP FAMBA - Intellectual Property for Athletes Made By Athletes, to come alongside amateur athletes to give them a pathway for recruiting success and a pathway to NIL success through NFT and sponsorship." Williams stated that some of the drills in the style combine happening on Thursday will be ones that IP FAMBA uses in the athletic score that college coaches look at in their recruiting process.

Designed for students in grades eight through 12, the 306: African American History™ curriculum brings to life a number of the important leaders and events whose impact changed the fabric of American society. The course covers four key eras and allows students to take control of their journey as they travel at their own pace.

Once students have completed 306: African American History, they'll explore the impact of historical influences on our lives today with 306: Continuing the Story. This digital curriculum integrates into Social Studies, U.S. History, and/or English Language Arts curriculum and serves as an eye-opening bridge to the present.

Jonathan Ehrenfeld, SPIRE Institute & Academy's Managing Partner, is proud to join EVERFI for this unique opportunity. "It's an important way for SPIRE to fulfill its continuing commitment to diversity on the field and in the classroom. I can't imagine a more appropriate time for this curriculum than February, as part of our celebration of Black History Month. We've always been dedicated to bringing unique learning opportunities to our student athletes and this is another perfect example of how SPIRE can continue to stand out above the rest. "

To learn more about 306: African American History, visit
https://everfi.com/courses/k-12/online-african-american-history-curriculum/

Media Contact:
Bryan Burrell
(909) 630-2795
[email protected]

About Legends Shooting for Peace and IP FAMBA
Shooting for Peace is a program spearheaded by global ambassador & former NBA player Jerome "JYD" Williams and NBA Legends. This program holds national events supporting Jerome's non-profit, JYD Project, Inc., along with the Chapters of National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) to bring community members, schools, and students together to create memorable experiences and educational opportunities. IP FAMBA is a company founded by Jerome Williams that comes alongside amateur athletes as they take their athletic journey from Middle School to High School, High School to College and for the select few from College to playing Professionally. IP FAMBA offers a score to the amateur athlete to assist in being recruited by Colleges and Universities and a pathway to NIL success through NFT and sponsorship participation.

About SPIRE Academy
SPIRE Institute & Academy is a comprehensive academic, athletic, personal skills, and career development experience located within a world-class event and wellness complex. Constructed on nearly 500 acres with more than 750,000 sq. ft. under roof, SPIRE (http://www.spireinstitute.org) encompasses four divisions: SPIRE Academy, an accredited college preparatory international boarding school and multi-sport/specialty training and development academy for 9-12 graders and a post-grad program; SPIRE Institute, the research and development arm studying performance improvement across multiple disciplines; SPIRE Events, a facility and team that hosts local, national and international tournaments and events with the NCAA, the Big East, Big Ten and Atlantic 10 conferences, Olympic trials and world championship qualifiers; and SPIRE Fit, a community membership-based fitness, swim and health center open to the public. Sports currently featured on campus include swimming, track & field, basketball, esports, drone racing, wrestling and lacrosse.

About EVERFI, Inc.
EVERFI, a Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) company, is an international technology company driving social impact through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to mental health to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI's Impact-as-a-Service™ solution and digital educational content have reached more than 45 million learners globally. In 2020, the company was recognized as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and was featured on Fortune Magazine's Impact 20 List. The company was also named to the 2021 GSV EdTech 150, a list of the most transformative growth companies in digital learning. Blackbaud, the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, acquired EVERFI in December of 2021. To learn more about EVERFI please visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.

SOURCE SPIRE Institute & Academy