Kevin Durant is looking to use his position in order to help teens better their future by offering assistance to students hoping to gain a college degree.
Sports Illustrated's Emily Caron reports that the NBA superstar has partnered with the College Track organization to establish the Durant Center Prince George's County, Maryland. The center which will be located in Durant's hometown of Suitland, Maryland will continue College Track's initiatives of providing lower-income students with the assistance needed to start and finish their college career.
According to College Track's website, their mission is to "empower students from underserved communities to graduate from college. By helping our students maximize the value of their college degree—minimize student loan debt, secure internships, and limit the need to work while in college—we prepare today’s youth to succeed in the 21st-century economy." This will be furthered by the Durant Center as it is said KD will use his resources to create a 10-year plan that helps students academically and financially.
Their partnership began in Feb. 2018 when Durant donated $10 million to start construction on the building and the project is considered to be KD's personal attempt to uplifting his community.
"He was looking to really invest really deeply in his home community," College Track chief executive Elissa Salas said while Durant calls the center "the full-circle stuff that you dream about."
The Durant Center will be accessible to all students in the Washington D.C. metropolitan and will be College Track's first establishment on the East Coast.
The center's grand opening will take place on Wednesday (Jan. 23) which is a day before Durant returns to his hometown to play the Washingon Wizards. The inaugural class is 69 local students.
