SAN ANTONIO – Former Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) basketball player Lo’Ron Smith held a back-to-school giveaway event on campus Saturday, Aug. 21, handing out over $14,000 in school supplies to members of the local community.
With the help of OLLU’s athletic department, the men’s basketball coaching staff and members of his newly founded organization, Smith organized the inaugural PSG Financial Literacy Back-to-School Giveaway. Some of the items distributed were notebooks, highlighters, markers, crayons, gift cards, t-shirts, bags and more. He plans to host this event annually.
“I’m looking to do this once a year. Bring out the community, hand out t-shirts, school supplies for the kids, and pamphlets for the parents with information about different financial topics,” Smith said.
Some present members of the OLLU’s Men’s Basketball program went out to help set up and were there during the duration of the event.
“Hopefully, we’ll make this bigger and bigger every year and do our part in this community to reach out and connect with the entire city of San Antonio but especially the local community here around OLLU,” said David Smith, assistant basketball coach. “To see someone like Lo’Ron, come back out and say, ‘Hey, I’m an OLLU grad, I’m a basketball alum. I want to be here, I want to do this on my campus because I still want to be part of this community and this university’ is huge.”
The mission of Smith’s nonprofit organization is to educate the youth and parents alike about the importance of financial literacy.
“I’d like to have a financial talk with them about how to better manage numbers and teach our kids so that they can take the torch and do better than us,” Smith said. “I truly believe we have a great group of guys who understand the values of family and community, and being able to carry yourself well in the community is something that I honor and value.”
Smith attended Earl Warren High School and received his bachelor’s degree in business management from OLLU in 2013; he was a stand-out athlete during his time there. His love for the city and commitment to the university’s core values have motivated him to build up communities around San Antonio. He plans to restore playgrounds around the city as well.
“We just want to do our part to give back and inspire. It means everything to us, and we would love anyone who wants to be a part of it,” Smith said.
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