Kyle Kuzma Launches Jail Reform Program for Incarcerated Women
Kyle Kuzma may be in the midst of the Washington Wizards season but that is not stopping him from doing good. The NBA champion made a quick visit to his hometown of Flint, Michigan to announce a partnership through the Kyle Kuzma Foundation that will benefit women in prison.
The foundation is partnering with I.G.N.I.T.E to help mothers who are incarcerated. He is also working with R.I.S.E program to create a program sponsoring moms in their first six months of release. Both I.G.N.I.T.E and R.I.S.E are established jail reform organizations in Flint.
To officially launch the collaboration, Kuzma and his mother Karri surprised the audience at I.G.N.I.T.E’s graduation ceremony at the Genessee County Jail in Michigan on Sunday.
Kuzma delivered the commencement speech and invited graduates to a post-event holiday party where they received $60,000 worth of clothes to inspire confidence and help them with self-care upon reentry into the community, and he also handed out presents to kids who were on-site to visit their moms.
Kuzma also revealed two renovated jail cells called “Kuz’s Corner.” Kuz’s Corner provides a space for incarcerated female inmates to play with their children during visits.
The Kyle Kuzma Foundation also hosted Thankful Meals, a community outreach event to provide food and essential goods to low-income families in Washington, D.C. for the holidays. At the event, he spoke to Inside The Wizards Staff Writer Carita Parks about the Kyle Kuzma Foundation and the passion his mother has for supporting single mothers.
“My mom is the head honcho of our foundation. She’s very happy to have that job title,” Kuzma said. “Our mission is just to help. Our main priority is single mothers and underprivileged kids and working with different community centers, charities, and benefit foundations to accomplish goals. Obviously that’s a wide variety. I know my mom has a great passion for single mothers and mothers raising kids that don’t have necessities. That’s important to me too because we lived that.”
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