Shaquille O’Neal is launching a youth facility in Las Vegas.
The 52-year-old basketball legend's Shaquille O’Neal Foundation is working with the Boys Girls Club of Southern Nevada and Communities In Schools on the upcoming 17,000-square-foot facility, which will be located on land donated by Clark County.
Revealing his philanthropy has been inspired by his mother, Dr. Lucille O'Neal, Shaquille told reporters: "I love children. I’m 52 years old, very successful, did a lot of great things. But the thing I love to do now is to make my mother proud.
"It's just the right thing to do. There's really no explanation. It's what I was taught by the great Dr. Lucille O'Neal and anytime I can make her proud, I'm doing a great thing.
"When I join a community, I just try to do the right thing. For me, it's not about publicity, it's not about likes. This is what I was taught."
The facility will provide safe childcare, academic and social programming, and access to technology for younger children, while it will help older patrons with career development and job hunt resources.
A message on the foundation's website states: "The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation provides resources and opportunities for underserved youth. We team with Boys Girls Clubs and Communities in Schools, two organisations that are personally close to Shaquille, to help achieve this mission. Our work is primarily focused in Atlanta and Las Vegas.
"The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation receives funding from individual donors, partner gifts, Founders Council members, and The Event, an annual large-scale fundraising gala held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada."
