FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 1, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
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Knicks rookie’s donation a slam dunk for York College
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
High-fl ying Knicks rookie Obi Toppin
has won over some new fans in Queens
aft er his recent appearance in the NBA
Slam Dunk contest resulted in an $80,000
donation to York College in Jamaica. Th e
funds are in support of York as a primarily
minority-serving institution and its
affi liation with the Th urgood Marshall
College fund.
Th e NBA informed the school that
Toppin and the two other dunk participants
were competing for their respective
HBCU/predominantly Black institutions
that provide higher education opportunities
for its students. In representing
New York and selecting York College as
a benefi ciary, Toppin, who fi nished second
in the competition, earned $50,000
for York College, while AT&T also donated
additional funding, bringing the total
to $80,000. Th e funds are meant to support
the college’s COVID-19 relief eff orts.
“As a New York native and a New York
Knick, it was a tremendous pride and
honor to represent York College as part
of this year’s AT&T Slam Dunk contest,”
Toppin said. “I am grateful to have
played a small part in York’s eff orts to
support students who have been most
impacted by the
pandemic and who
continue to demonstrate what
it means to be New York tough.”
York will add the donation to
the One York Student Emergency
Fund, established by Dr.
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, president
of York College, at the start
of the pandemic-related shutdown.
Th ese funds will help students
who have faced mounting
challenges during the pandemic,
including losing their jobs,
many of them campus jobs;
housing and food insecurity;
and lack of access to health
care in some cases.
“On behalf of our students,
faculty and staff , I thank the
NBA, Thurgood Marshall
College Fund, AT&T
and Obi Toppin for
this much-needed
donation,” Eanes
said. “It will help ameliorate fi nancial
diffi culties for our hardworking
students, most of whom lost
jobs due to the pandemic,
and many of whose parents
have also lost employment.
Th ese are hard times that
require creative new ways
of giving. We are grateful
for this very meaningful
support.”
The communities
around York College
have been hard-hit by
COVID, racial disparities
in healthcare, policing and
much more. But by providing
a high-quality college
education in this location and
serving as a mega vaccination
site, York College is doing its
best to level the playing fi eld in
the name of social justice. As of
March 16, the site had already vaccinated
more than 65,000 Queens residents in less
than four weeks.
“I want to extend my gratitude to
the NBA and the Th urgood Marshall
College Fund for selecting three predominantly
Black-serving institutions,
including CUNY’s York College, to support
as part of this year’s NBA All-
Star,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos
Rodríguez. “I was thrilled to see the
New York Knicks’ own Obi Toppin dunk
his way to a generous $50,000 donation
that will benefi t York students whose
lives have been upended by this ongoing
pandemic, and am also thankful
for the additional support from AT&T.
Th ese funds will make a diff erence for
our resilient students.”
Th e Th urgood Marshall College Fund
also expressed delight at York’s good fortune.
“We are excited that TMCF’s partnership
with the NBA will support students
at our member-school York College,
which is located in New York City, to
provide much needed COVID-19 student
support,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams,
TMCF president and CEO. “COVID-19
hit New York hard, and these funds will
help the York College community as it
continues to address student needs in the
wake of this pandemic.”
Courtesy of the NBA
Knicks forward Obi
Toppin’s appearance in
the NBA Slam
Dunk contest
resulted in an
$80,0000
donation to York
College.
Wishing Everyone
a Happy Easter!
Congressman
Gregory W. Meeks
5th Congressional District of New York
@GregMeeksNYC @GregMeeksNYC @GregMeeksNYC
– Paid for and authorized by Friends for Gregory Meeks –
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