The Skyhook Foundation
The Skyhook Foundation’s mission is to “Give Kids a Shot that Can’t be Blocked”
by bringing educational STEAM opportunities to underserved communities.
Our flagship program, Camp Skyhook, is an immersive, hands-on experience...
As the flagship program of the foundation, Camp Skyhook partners with LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) to help inspire children from culturally, racially and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods into the great outdoors to work together. Education is the most basic of all social justice issues. Studies have shown time and time again that education most directly impacts one’s socio-economic mobility, more so than any other factor. So an investment in education is not only an investment in the individual student, but also in their family, peers and the communities in which they live. With a curriculum developed by UCLA and NASA, students get a hands-on, immersive experience learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in a unique environment.
For five days and four nights, students are immersed in the wonder of the world's largest classroom, the Angeles National Forest. For many students, the trip to “Camp Skyhook” in the Angeles National Forest is their first venture outside of the urban neighborhoods in which they live, even though it's less than an hour from most areas of LA. With a creative blend of technology, nature and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), students receive a multi-dimensional, multi-sensory experience that will help them soar above the four walls of a classroom and spark a lifelong love for learning STEAM.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is considered by many fans and sportswriters to be the greatest basketball player of all time...
The 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center is famous for his indefensible skyhook and dominating the NBA for 20 years. He not only captured the NBA’s MVP six times, was a 19-time NBA All-Star, and set 9 NBA All-Time records, today he remains the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer with 38,387 points.
But as Kareem himself says, “I can do more than stuff a ball through a hoop; my greatest asset is my mind.” And indeed, he can.
Growing up under the two biggest media spotlights in the world (New York and Los Angeles) during the Civil Rights era as quite literally the most visible black man in the country has given Kareem a unique perspective on America’s political and social landscape. This has led him to make a significant impact on the under-served youth of the United States.
His lifelong passion for history led to his authoring 14 New York Times best-selling books on various subjects based on his in-depth knowledge of many topics ranging from sports to history to jazz and pop culture. Currently he is a pop culture columnist for The Hollywood Reporter and a regular contributing columnist for the The Guardian Newspaper.
His Emmy Award-winning HBO Sports documentary, Kareem: Minority of One, debuted as HBO’s most watched and highest rated sports documentary of all time.
In 2017 Abdul-Jabbar, an avid numismatic collector, was appointed as the first African-American to the CCAC (Citizens Coin Advisory Council) in its 100-year history, where he helps decide on all coins that are to be minted in The United States.
Before leaving office, President Barack Obama awarded Abdul-Jabbar The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.