Shoe manufacturing colossus Nike has given former President Barack Obama $5 million toward the construction of a sports facility on the campus of the Obama Presidential Center.
The $500 million center has yet to begin construction but will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago and is scheduled to be completed in 2022, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“There will be a new home court in Chicago,” Jorge Casimiro, chief social and community impact officer and president of the Nike Foundation, hailed in a written statement.
“When President Obama’s Presidential Center opens its doors, it will be the first to include a public athletic facility — made possible in part by a $5 million contribution from the Nike Foundation,” Casimiro added.
Super excited to announce this partnership with @ObamaFoundation at our South Side Chicago @nike store. The Obama Presidential Center will be the 1st to have an athletic & community building inspiring millions and providing access and opportunity for ALL!https://t.co/PTbT3lHM4F
— Jorge Casimiro (él/him/his) (@jc_nikeimpact) January 14, 2020
According to the Obama Foundation, the Obama Presidential Center will house a museum that will regale visitors with the story of the nation’s first Black president and first lady. Overall, the center will be be a broad campus replete with foundation offices, meeting spaces for conferences and workshops, a public library branch and a bevy of recreation areas.
Before construction can begin, the Chicago Tribune reports, the foundation has to show that it can raise the hundreds of millions of dollars it will take to run and keep up the facility long into the future.
The foundation will also facilitate a fellowship program and a scholarship program for graduate students. Additionally, the Obama Presidential Center will be the site of summits and training conferences.
