The NBA is awarding Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. with the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of December in recognition of his ongoing commitment to support, uplift and inspire the Memphis community.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The monthly honor recognizes a player who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To tip off the holiday season, Jaren Jackson Jr. launched his first-ever social media fundraising campaign, \u201cMuch Required,\u201d on Giving Tuesday to support young Memphians.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an initial $150,000 personal contribution, he raised nearly $200,000 in one day to support five local youth organizations:\u00a0ArtsMemphis<\/a>,\u00a0Girls Inc. of Memphis<\/a>.,\u00a0Memphis Slim House<\/a>,\u00a0Vance Avenue Youth Development Center<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Women\u2019s Foundation for a Greater Memphis<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Jackson Jr. assisted 13 families in eliminating overdue housing and utility bills around the holidays, giving each family more than $500 dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To accomplish this, Jackson Jr. worked closely with the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), whose mission is to support the independence of vulnerable seniors and families in crisis through high-impact programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since arriving in Memphis, a city with a profound history in civil rights, Jaren Jackson Jr. has found meaningful ways to encourage people in his local community to create positive change.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n To help increase awareness for election participation, he made a PSA to encourage eligible voters through the message that \u201cevery election matters, every vote matters, and every voter matters,\u201d and continues to annually highlight why voting and using one\u2019s voice is critical to improving their communities.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson Jr. used his platform to raise awareness around the importance of vaccinations and was one of the first players to support the City of Memphis and Shelby County\u2019s #MASKUPMEMPHIS campaign, which provides face masks to those in underserved communities, specifically those in Black and Brown communities.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n