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NBA legend and owner of the Charlotte Hornets franchise Michael Jordan made his largest philanthropic donation ever when he pledged seven million US dollars to build medical clinics in Charlotte, North Carolina with the hope of aiding its troubled communities.
"I am proud to partner with Novant Health to bring critical health services to underserved areas of Charlotte and the thousands of North Carolinians with limited access to health care," Jordan said in a release on Monday.
"It is my hope that these clinics will help provide a brighter and healthier future for the children and families they serve."
File photo of Michael Jordan. /NBA Photo
Jordan will fund two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics that are projected to open in late 2020.
Jordan' s spokesperson Estee Portnoy said Jordan was largely spurred by a 2014 study from Harvard and the University of California that found poor children in Charlotte have the worst odds of those in any big US city to lift themselves out of poverty.
Jordan, 54, is the only former NBA player with majority ownership of a franchise. He purchased the Hornets from founding owner Bob Johnson in March 2010, after four seasons as part of the ownership group.
Though his primary residence is in Florida, Jordan considers Charlotte his second home, Portnoy said. He grew up in North Carolina and went to the university there.
"This gift will transform the lives of thousands of families and children living in poverty-stricken communities," said Carl Armato, CEO of Novant Health. "We are thankful to Michael for his generosity. The gift will remove barriers to high-quality health care in some of the most vulnerable communities."
Armato said the two clinics will offer not only family physicians and pediatricians, but also behavioral health, physical therapy, social work, oral health and family-planning services.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
