In its seventh year, the Workday Charity Classic raises funds for Eat. Learn. Play.’s work to support Oakland kids and schools.

This summer, Eat. Learn. Play. was proud to support Oakland Athletic League’s (OAL) Summer Bridge Leadership & Enrichment Program, which provides safe, engaging, and high-quality experiences during the summer months. OAL is a long-standing partner in our work to ensure Oakland students have access to meaningful opportunities to play sports and be active. Lamont Robinson, OAL Commissioner, shares his reflections on the summer program.  

Whether it’s learning or play, our approach at Eat. Learn. Play. is rooted in the belief that kids deserve joy in every aspect of their lives. Our work to revitalize schoolyards and our partnership with Reading Partners embodies the best of both.

Eat. Learn. Play.’s partnership with Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) helps us meet families where they are, with dignity, consistency, and the fresh, nutritious food every kid deserves.  We spoke with Regi Young, Executive Director of ACCFB, about the impact of our work over seven years of partnership.

Eat. Learn. Play. invests in sustained professional development for Oakland's literacy educators, because strengthening the capacity and knowledge of leaders creates better outcomes for Oakland’s kids.

Four-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry and actress, producer and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry will be recognized as Philanthropists of the Year for their groundbreaking nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which aims to transform the school experience for a generation of Oakland kids, investing in food access, literacy, youth sports and the spaces where kids eat, learn and play each day. Through their work, Eat. Learn. Play. has provided more than 25 million meals to kids and has invested $20 million into closing the literacy gap by providing tutoring resources and support, distributing nearly 1 million new books, in addition to revitalizing dozens of schoolyards and playgrounds throughout Oakland.

Four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry was honored with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his extensive community impact through the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.

Walk into the library at Fruitvale Elementary, and you might find a group of fourth graders forming a book club, or a student quietly absorbed in a graphic novel that, for the first time, features a character who looks like him. 

These are the moments that Books Kids Want to Read was built for. For several years, Eat. Learn. Play. has supported this program that lets librarians refresh their collections and stock their shelves with books that inspire a love of learning, driven by what students want to read.

The third Lit Fest was a district-wide celebration of reading. Students, teachers, and families from all 50 Oakland elementary schools gathered in community to celebrate one common theme: the power of reading and student voice.  

Davidson College, the national college completion program College Track and Oakland Unified School District are teaming up with four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP and Davidson alum Stephen Curry to create a full scholarship for high-achieving students from underserved communities in the Bay Area.  

More than 70 iconic pairs of sneakers went up for auction at Sotheby's New York as part of The Stephen Curry Collection: My Sneaker Free Agency, with the directive that every dollar raised will support Eat. Learn. Play. The auction, which ran from April 13 to 28, resulted in a total of $1.7 million going directly toward supporting Oakland’s kids.  

On November 13th, 2025, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry announced, for the first time in his career, he was no longer tied to a specific athletic wear brand partner. With this unprecedented freedom, Curry embarked on a deliberate and highly curated journey, opting to wear a different pair of sneakers in nearly every game appearance throughout the remainder of the season.

Now, more than four months after declaring his free agency, the future Hall of Famer is teaming up with Sotheby’s to exclusively auction more than 70 pairs of sneakers from this singular chapter of his career. Each pair, personally worn by Curry, will be sold individually, with proceeds benefiting the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. The online auction will be open for bidding from 13–28 April. 

For the third year, Eat. Learn. Play. is proud to be the charitable beneficiary of the Oakland Marathon, with $150,000 raised at this joyful event for the entire family, including a full marathon, half, 10k, 5k, and the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run. 

On Friday, December 19, Stephen and Ayesha Curry brought the 13th annual Christmas with the Currys to a meaningful close by spreading holiday cheer, joy and the gift of reading through a citywide celebration of literacy across Oakland. The Currys visited Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy, one of Eat. Learn. Play.’s previously transformed schoolyard sites, to celebrate alongside students, staff, volunteers and partners, marking the culminating moment of the foundation’s month-long holiday book fair initiative. The final day at Korematsu Elementary reflected the collective spirit of service, community and joyful learning that unfolded throughout December, underscoring Eat. Learn. Play.’s ongoing commitment to literacy and creating meaningful opportunities for children to read, learn and dream.

The Currys day began the day with an interview with Charlie Gibson for Good Morning America and ABC News’ The Book Case podcast, along with Spencer Christian of ABC7 (KGO). The dual interview opportunity centered on Eat. Learn. Play.’s work in Oakland, with a focus on literacy initiatives and Christmas with the Currys.

Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday announced today that the 2025 edition of the official PGA TOUR Signature Event founded and hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus raised over $5.3 million for charitable organizations in Central Ohio and beyond, including $5 million for the Memorial’s primary beneficiaries: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. It is the first time the Tournament’s annual charitable giving total has topped the $5 million mark. Since its inception in 1976, the Memorial has eclipsed $60 million in donations to charity, with nearly $45 million going to Nationwide Children’s.

 The 50th playing of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, which concluded June 1, 2025, marked the fourth year in which Oakland, Calif. based charity, Eat. Learn. Play. was recognized by the Tournament as a charitable beneficiary. Eat. Learn. Play. receives general support from the Memorial with a portion of the official PGA TOUR event’s 2025 charitable proceeds benefiting the organization.

Throughout December, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is bringing the joy of reading to thousands of Oakland elementary students through the 13th annual Christmas with the Currys, a beloved holiday tradition rooted in generosity, community and joyful learning. From December 1-19, the Oakland-based foundation will host free, holiday-themed book fairs at 47 public elementary schools across the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), giving more than 17,000 students the opportunity to browse, explore and choose four brand-new, age-appropriate, and culturally affirming books to take home this holiday season.

This year marks one of the largest Christmas with the Currys celebrations to date, with Rubrik, a Security and AI operations company, as the lead sponsor. More than 600 volunteers, including employees from Rubrik and other partner organizations, community groups, and Eat. Learn. Play.’s dedicated volunteer network, will join Stephen and Ayesha in helping students select books that reflect their interests and imaginations. More than 68,000 books will be placed directly into the hands of Oakland children, turning their holiday seasons into a celebration of reading, curiosity and joy as students build their own home libraries. 

In celebration of the holiday season, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is once again honoring more than 18,000 educators, nutrition service workers, principals, administrative staff, community partners, and volunteers across the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and the broader Oakland community. For the fourth consecutive year, these essential members of the school districts and community will receive complimentary annual memberships to MasterClass, the acclaimed streaming platform featuring lessons from world-renowned experts across a wide range of subjects. 

This summer, our community stepped up to ensure that children across Oakland had access to the meals that they needed to thrive.  

Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. joins Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King to bring the Realize the Dream initiative to Oakland with a powerful day of service at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. The event launches what will be a long-term partnership that combines the Currys’ deep commitment to their hometown of Oakland with Realize the Dream’s nationwide movement to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through service, connection and community building.

Stephen and Ayesha are being named Chief Dream Ambassadors of Realize the Dream, kicking off the collaboration with a pledge of 100,000 volunteer hours to uplift Oakland’s youth and neighborhoods. This commitment is part of Realize the Dream’s broader national mission to mobilize 100 million hours of service by 2029—the 100th anniversary of Dr. King’s birth.

Today, ESPN announced a growing list of athlete ambassadors for its youth sports initiative Take Back Sports, which is designed to get and keep kids playing sports. Take Back Sports ambassadors include:

Natasha Cloud, New York Liberty
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Diana Flores, MEX National Flag Football
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Max Holloway, UFC fighter
Jordan Larson, LOVB Omaha Volleyball
Sydney Leroux, Angel City FC
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Eli Manning, 2x Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl MVP
Peyton Manning, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback, 5x NFL MVP
Lexi Rodriguez, LOVB Omaha Volleyball
Ben Shelton, professional tennis player
Jordan Spieth, professional golfer
Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres
Frances Tiafoe, professional tennis player
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

A series of vignettes featuring the athlete ambassadors will air across ESPN’s platforms beginning on Monday, Aug. 4. The ambassadors talk about critical issues in youth sports including the importance of community rec leagues, quality coaching, multisport play and having fun.

The vignettes also are featured on TakeBackSports.org, a premier online destination managed by Positive Coaching Alliance for youth sports parents, caregivers and coaches. The site includes tips, resources and actionable strategies on how to improve the youth sports experience for their child and others.

Williams Sonoma, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer announced today, the launch of the brand’s annual Tools for Change fundraising program benefitting No Kid Hungry. The 2025 Tools for Change collection includes a range of limited-edition spatulas, oven mitt and potholder sets designed by celebrities, celebrity chefs, and popular content creators with a portion of proceeds from the purchase of each product donated to help end  childhood hunger in America.* Every dollar donated by Williams Sonoma from the Tools for Change campaign can help No Kid Hungry provide 10 meals to kids.

Proceeds From 2025 Collection Designed by Zooey Deschanel, Ayesha Curry, Timbaland, Masaharu Morimoto, Bebe Rexha and Others Help Provide Meals to Children

The City of Oakland is pleased to announce it has reached a collaboration agreement with East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF), Eat. Learn. Play., and Alameda County Community Food Bank to support the Summer Food Service Program this summer. During the school year, approximately 33,000 children rely on free or reduced-cost meals provided at school. The Summer Food Service Program bridges the meal gap throughout the summer months when schools are closed and children are enrolled in summer programs.

This year the program will begin June 2, 2025 and run through August 8.

Together, East Bay Community Foundation and Eat. Learn. Play. are leading a philanthropic response to cover the expense of providing approximately 1,200 meals per day at up to 21 community-based sites, with an estimated cost of up to $375,000 paid to the approved food vendors. 

ESPN announced the launch of Take Back Sports, a new youth sports initiative dedicated to increasing access to play for young athletes. Introduced at the Aspen Institute’s Project Play Summit — where ESPN serves on the 63X30 committee aimed at getting 63% of kids playing sports by 2030 — the initiative will address critical challenges in the youth sports landscape. Only 38.3% of kids ages 6-12 played sports in 2023 on a regular basis, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2024 report. Take Back Sports will focus on three primary areas to drive change:

• Philanthropy and investing in youth sports organizations that are breaking down the barriers to play

• A national campaign focused on helping parents, coaches and caring adults make the youth sports system stronger (which will launch later this year, along with new content that will be integrated into ESPN’s studio shows and event coverage)

• Purposeful storytelling on youth sports across ESPN platforms together with athletes and league partners

As part of the initiative, ESPN is teaming up with Stephen and Ayesha Curry and their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation to tackle the barriers preventing youth participation in sports. A feature on the Currys’ efforts to reshape youth sports in Oakland will air during NBA Today on April 3. With a renewed focus on ensuring every student in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has access to high-quality sports and play opportunities at every stage of their education — from elementary school play spaces to middle school sports — Eat. Learn. Play. is expanding access to organized sports and providing free sports programming for Oakland student-athletes. Youth sports participation in Oakland — and across the country—has steadily declined in part due to rising costs of travel sports and lack of funding for school sports, and recognizing this challenge, Eat. Learn. Play. has taken decisive action to reinvigorate school-based athletics with the refurbishment of schoolyards and basketball courts and by providing essential resources and support.

Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play., along with Under Armour and Curry Brand, are building on their longtime partnership with a renewed focus on ensuring every student in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has access to high-quality sports and play opportunities at every stage of their education. This collaborative effort creates a seamless pathway for participation, growth and success—from elementary school play spaces to middle and high school athletics. Through sustained investment and strategic partnerships, this effort expands access to sports and reinforces the vital role athletics plays in youth development and academic achievement.