MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Ray Allen recently lived out one of his dreams by being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but Allen is still focused on making the dreams of many children come true. Allen, through his Ray of Hope foundation, unveiled a new computer lab at Fienberg K-8 Center in Miami Beach on Friday.
The former Heat guard has made it the mission of his foundation to help school children in many of the communities he played in, including South Florida, have access to new technology. With support from Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Allen is set to have his annual celebrity golf tournament next Friday at the Miami Beach Country Club. Loews Miami Beach Managing Director Alex Tonarelli was also at the event, along with Miami-Dade schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
Since 2010, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel Celebrity Golf Tournament has raised almost a half a million dollars in resources for classrooms and students across Miami-Dade County.
The Ray of Hope foundation is a non-profit organization established by Allen.
Allen hopes the kids who see him in person and on the walls of the computer lab learn they can accomplish anything they put their minds to. He spoke with the students about his basketball and life experiences and encouraged them to follow their dreams. Allen said, “it is something great for them to walk in and say, I can be like that or I can do something of that similar magnitude. And that’s what I want all the kids to feel.”
This is the fourth computer lab Allen has helped open at South Florida schools through his foundation.