After joining the Wheels for Ed family when Miah was a rising 3rd grader, she and her mom Laura Brown had no idea what was in store for their family. This May, near the end of her 4th grade year, Miah earned a trip to Miami to be there as LeBron received his 4th MVP trophy. Even better, her mom got to share the experience with her! Laura reflected, "Hands down the MVP trip to Miami was the best trip I will ever go on in my life, a true once in a lifetime experience. To have someone care about you so much to send 10 kids and their parents to be on stage with you as you receive your MVP award: simply unbelievable. Sitting on that stage and hearing LeBron thank his Mom for his upbringing and his future in-laws for helping raise their kids was very emotional for me because it touched home for me. You can’t make it without your family; they are your backbone. Period. I lost my job five years ago and was pregnant with my second child, had my daughter Miah who was five years old at the time and I decided to finish my degree. Without my mom and family, I wouldn’t be where I am today. LJFF is our second family because of the bonds we have all formed with fellow WFE families, APS folks, and the LJFF team. Being part of this long-term program is another supportive backbone for my kids and I." Laura was born and raised in Akron herself, so her love of the community runs deep. Laura wanted to give a special shout out to LeBron, "Thank you for developing the Wheels for Ed program and giving back to our kids in the city where you came from and call home. You have pride in where you come from and this is awesome because the kids see it."
Laura was beaming with excitement that Miah now loves to read and write stories, and she believes that Wheels for Education (WFE) has been a profound influence. "WFE is an excellent program since not all kids have a family-oriented life outside of school and the interventions: Akron After School theater, tennis, gardening, cultural enrichment ---it allows our kids to see what the world has to offer." Laura shared a simple morsel of wisdom, "If you love everybody, listen to everybody, and teach everybody, you can learn from everybody." To her and her family, LeBron’s influence in the Akron community and the world expresses this. LeBron’s presence can be felt in their home. Miah loves receiving letters from Mr. LeBron and is eager to earn more surprises. Miah and Laura watched all of the games and Miah made sure to point out that LeBron had his I PROMISE band on each time! They were huge LeBron fans before and they are even bigger fans now that they are part of the WFE family and can’t wait to see him again at the I PROMISE Family Reunion!