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Using his elevated status in the Portland Community, Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has opened the CJ McCollum Dream Center at the Boys & Girls Club in Northeast Portland, KATU News reports.
This center will be equipped with new computers, books, art, and learning tools created to be an “innovative learning room” for Portland’s youth.
“It is so important to encourage kids to explore their passions and educate themselves about what they love, and I hope this Dream Center serves as a constructive place for them to grow. Portland has made a long-term commitment to me, and I am excited to now do the same with the communities that have been so supportive of me on my way to achieving my dream of playing in the NBA.”
McCollum plans on opening more Dream Centers in select Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the state of Oregon. BGCP CEO and President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oregon Alliance, Erin Hubert, had high praise for McCollum:
“What CJ is doing is extraordinary. Not only is he making a commitment to bring these rooms to life, he is making a genuine, personal investment in the futures of these kids.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, McCollum told reporters “I want my legacy to be more than basketball.”
MODA Health, Directors Mortgage, Buffalo Wild Wings, JBL/Harman, the Mohawk Group, and HL Stern partnered with McCollum to make the Dream Center a reality.