Nike and the LA84 Foundation announced on 13 March, 2008 the donation of $4 million to renew 84 play surfaces and improve the quality of youth sports in Los Angeles. The new and refurbished play surfaces will help rejuvenate communities by creating spaces for children to play so they can lead healthy and active lives.

World-class Nike athletes Serena Williams and Paul Rodriguez, Jr. joined LA84 Foundation President and Board of Directors member Anita L. DeFrantz to formally announce the pledge. The backdrop – Nike’s “Let Me Play” painted billboard on the Hotel Figueroa Wall – was perfect for the occasion. Painted in September 2007, the wall features Williams, Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant playing a variety of sports with youth from the Hollenbeck Youth Center, the East Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club and the Salvation Army Red Shield.

The mission of Nike’s Let Me Play initiative in L.A. and in other cities is to unleash human potential through sport and to reclaim play, one field, one court and one place at time. In the same way, the LA84 Foundation strives to serve youth through sport and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people’s lives.