The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation has revealed that it will donate $10 million to College Track in order to bring the organization’s college completion initiative to Durant’s hometown of Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The money will go towards building the Durant Centre, a learning and leadership centre that will house College Track’s extensive ten-year programme. Beginning in the ninth grade, the programme assists students from underprivileged communities in overcoming obstacles to achieving their college goals and equips them with the skills they need to thrive in the twenty-first-century economy. In the autumn of 2018, College Track at The Durant Centre will welcome its first class from neighbouring Suitland High School. The program’s participants graduate from college at a rate that is more than twice as high as the national average for first-generation and low-income students, according to the organisation.

Oakland-based College Track was established in 1997 by businessman Carlos Watson and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. Its mission is to prepare high school students for the scholastic, economical, and socioemotional challenges of college and to support them during their time there. The organization’s first East Coast centre, the Durant Centre, will be followed by two other facilities in the Washington, D.C., metro area by 2021. The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation was established in 2013 with the goal of enhancing the lives of young people from underprivileged homes through social services, sports, and education.

“This is my dream come true,” Durant, who won the Most Valuable Player award in the NBA Championship Finals the previous year, remarked. “To come back home and positively impact the lives of kids — who share the ambitions I’ve always had — with world-class educational opportunities and resources that can completely change the game in our community for generations to come.”