MC Lyte recently teamed up with the National Basketball Wives Association and Morgan Stanley to give back during the global health pandemic by donating more than 15,000 books to 5,000 students in under-resourced areas that have been impacted by current shelter-in-place orders.
NBWA recently organized the “Spread Love Fest,” a virtual party with a purpose that tapped hip-hop artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist MC Lyte to host and deejay the experience on Instagram Live.
The initiative is tied to the NBWA’s “Books & Ball” program, which works with the nonprofit First Book to close the gap on educational inequities.
“The NBWA has always had the mission to support youth education, and during this challenging period in our world, we wanted to do our part to ensure that as many students as possible have access to educational resources at home while many schools are unable to operate inside of their physical buildings,” said Mia Wright, president of the NBWA.
The NBWA and Morgan Stanley’s partnership first came to fruition during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles in 2018 as part of a sponsorship of NBWA’s Women’s Empowerment Summit. Since that time, Morgan Stanley’s global sports and entertainment division has sponsored similar events during NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte in 2019 and, most recently, All-Star Weekend 2020 in Chicago.
“Morgan Stanley applauds the NBWA’s commitment and dedication to youth education during this difficult time,” said Sandra L. Richards, a managing director and head of global sports and entertainment at Morgan Stanley. “Now more than ever, it is our duty to leverage our relationships and our resources to make a positive impact in the world, particularly in some of our most vulnerable communities. This type of work directly aligns with Morgan Stanley’s mission to reinvest in the communities of our clients and partners and we’re honored to participate in the program.”
The initiative also will seek to add laptops and address other needs of underserved students. To support this effort, please reach out to the NBWA at www.nbwassoc.org. Follow the organization @nbwassoc on social media.
