CLEVELAND — When you think of the great Cavaliers players from years past, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal might slip past your radar. But even though his stint in Cleveland was short, O'Neal has kept the city close to him, recently donating funds to Cleveland Metropolitan School District to help create better access to sports for local students.
Partnering with Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, O'Neal launched the Mission Tiger program, which surprised students and coaches at six school districts in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix and Cleveland with a large donation for their middle school sports programs.
Mission Tiger began with a cereal launch featuring cinnamon-flavored flakes shaped like basketballs which saw a $2 donation for every box sold. After incorporating the nonprofit crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose, Kellogg's and O'Neal were able to expand their goals of the program and make the large donations to the six school districts.
O'Neal was excited to not only launch his own cereal box but to be able to use that opportunity to give back to students in the cities he played basketball throughout his career.
"Seeing my face on a box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, my all-time favorite cereal, is a dream come true," O'Neal said. "What's even better is that our new cereal will help kids across the country gain better access to sports. Sports teach invaluable skills that will impact these kids for the rest of their lives."
The donations made to Cleveland Metropolitan School District will help provide new sports and training equipment, repave courts and refurbish playing fields at middle schools in the district.
To learn more about the Mission Tiger program, click here.
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