A Special Guest At Hometown Hall

Ellet Cluster Hometown Hall Meeting!

It was a warm summer night in Akron and the brightness of the day transferred to the faces of the kids and their families as they filed in the doors to enjoy a fun filled night courtesy of Mr. LeBron. The final Hometown Hall Meeting for the 2014-2015 school year was held on Thursday, May 28^th at Ellet High School for Ellet Cluster Wheels for Ed (WFE) and Akron I PROMISE Network (AIPN) families.

As always, Old Carolina Barbecue provided an extensive spread for our family meal, serving up delicious homemade barbecue, complemented by sweet tea , lemonade, and even some killer dance moves to the tracks our DJ from ­Buckeye State Entertainment was laying down.

Once everyone settled in and broke bread, the night officially tipped off as all our WFE and AIPN events do, reciting our PROMISES! Both our WFE and AIPN students took turns standing at the front of the room, emphatically reciting their respective PROMISE.

Attendance is a major pillar of both the WFE and AIPN programs. With the PROMISES recited, the Foundation began the rest of the program by rewarding the families in attendance with special LeBron themed door prizes. With each dip into the tub of hand written names, parents and children alike were called to the front of the room and given an array of prizes from Beats Pills to Nike LeBron hats.

After the first round of door prizes were awarded, the Foundation turned its attention to the most important portion and question of the night: how can we better serve your children? The floor was turned into an open question and answer forum for the families and the Foundation. The families had the opportunity to voice any suggestions they had to better the programs and we were given some outstanding feedback! Parents commented on their gratitude for the meal and its convenience for them after work, as well as how the Foundation has given their children the motivation to work hard in the classroom and has helped them overcome some difficulties focusing and retaining lessons. The team also received many ideas about items to include on the soon to be released PROMISE Pass, such as The University of Akron sporting events, bowling, the Akron Art Museum and golf at Mud Run.

Following the question and answer it was time for the main event, our keynote speaker, Coach Scott. The Foundation recently had the pleasure of meeting Coach Scott through Johnny Manziel, as he was Johnny’s high school offensive coordinator. Coach Scott has been a major influence throughout Johnny’s life. As LeBron had many special mentors in his life when he was a kid, he wants to bring special mentors to his WFE and AIPN students.

Coach Scott, who comes to us all the way from the Lone Star State, gave an inspiring and captivating talk about being in control of your own life, striving for your dreams, and recognizing the people who truly care about you. It was a pleasure to have Coach Scott speak at his first Hometown Hall Meeting. But, don’t worry other clusters! Coach Scott has graciously agreed to speak at all Hometown Hall Meetings next year!

After Coach Scott’s motivational words, the AIPN monthly EARNED NOT GIVEN winners were announced and our May Just Cling It winner was awarded! The family was the recipient of $1,000 worth of groceries. The enjoyable night unfortunately had to come to a close. The meeting was a tremendous success and a perfect way to end the year.

The Foundation extends a warm thank you to everyone who joined us and showed their support for our kids. We can’t wait for the next batch of Hometown Halls next school year.