We’re used to seeing Kobe Bryant when he’s in a giving mood. Typically, he’s giving the opposing team baskets for 48 minutes. Last week, however, Bryant was giving back to the Los Angeles community in an effort to raise awareness about homelessness in the area.
The Mamba and Mrs. Mamba attended an event to promote his collaboration with My Friend’s Place, a resource center in Hollywood that provides services to homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 25 and their children. The Bryant’s have taken up the cause of abolishing homelessness in L.A. because it is an epidemic that does not receive the attention necessary to eradicate it. Bryant feels as though the stigma associated with the homeless is one that causes people to lose sight of the problem. While many sit back feel that the poor life decisions made by these individuals is what got them in their current predicament, this is not always necessarily the case and it doesn’t mean they should be shunned from society. Kobe gets it, and he is correct in his assertion that innocent children are the biggest victims.
“Kids touch all of our hearts probably a little even more because it’s like they were born into this situation; they don’t have the opportunities that we had,” Kobe said. “We all had dreams, we all had goals, we all had aspirations and for them not to have that, it’s just not fair. We have to do something about it.”
Kobe first got involved with My Friend’s Place in 2011. The nonprofit organization served 1,741 homeless individuals last year by providing shelter, food, clothing, showers, transportation and other services.
For more information on My Friend’s Place, please go to www.myfriendsplace.org/.
HHSR salutes you Kobe. You’re leadership clearly transcends the game of basketball.