Nike is giving back to the south side of Chicago in a big way. The company will be donating $5 million to the Obama Presidential Center for a new athletic facility. This is good news on so many levels. The recreation facility will be designed to empower young people and build community through sports and will be used for way more than just basketball. It will also be used for dance classes and other sports as well.
Chicago is most definitely a sports town and what better way for Nike to use money to bring a connection to different neighborhoods, new jobs and much more to the city's south side. There has been some push back to the presidential center coming to Jackson Park for various reasons including the expense to build it and traffic congestion, but hopefully the ground breaking will take place soon.
I wish people would just think bigger and realize that this center could transform that area of the south side for the better. It will be a public facility that could be enjoyed by not only residents in that neighborhood, but people from all over the globe. It's time to think about change and moving forward in a positive direction.