The Steve Francis Foundation launched in 1999 when Steve Francis decided to use his very first endorsement check from Reebok to revitalize the neighborhood community center near his childhood home on Maple Avenue in Takoma Park, Maryland. This was before he was selected as the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The number of hours Steve spent at this Center in his younger years playing football, basketball, baseball, volunteering and studying were countless. That is where he met his closest friends, coaches and mentors. This is the place and these are the people that he would turn to during his most challenging times.
When it was time to launch his Foundation in 1999, Steve knew what the mission would be: to provide recreational and educational opportunities to at-risk youth. This vision had been with Steve since his childhood.
For over 20 years, Steve’s Foundation has been fulfilling this mission through recreational programming; a scholarship program that distributed over $640,000 in scholarships in honor of his Mother Brenda Wilson; and sharing food, gifts and household items to those in need around the holidays.
The worldwide pandemic changed everything in 2020. In this time of growth and reflection, Steve linked up with a new mentor in Pastor James Nash of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church and through discernment and reflection, realized a calling to the Sunnyside Community. Pastor Nash introduced Steve to the community and together they identified how The Steve Francis Foundation could make an impact in Sunnyside.
Steve has a new vision-Sunnyside Up!-which is a multi-layer effort to improve educational and recreational opportunities for youth in the Sunnyside Community. Initial efforts include distributions of food, toys and household items around Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2020 and a basketball camp and school supply distribution in Summer 2021.
Next steps include The Steve Francis Foundation partnering with the Sunnyside Community and the Houston Parks & Recreation Department to develop a public-private partnership with the goal of repairing, upgrading, and maintaining Sunnyside Park and Community Center so that the youth have a home in the community for educational and recreational opportunities much like Steve did in his youth.
Stay tuned as there will be much more to share about The Steve Francis Foundation’s Sunnyside Up! initiative very soon.
Additional Links: Sunnyside Community Center Pastor James Nash
