Saturday, August 10 was a special day for a group of Garland ISD students who received backpacks from IKandy, the charitable foundation of Ike Diogu. Ike was a basketball standout at Garland High School before he attended college and went on to play for several NBA teams. He also played on the 2012 and 2016 Nigerian Olympic basketball teams.
This year’s event was the eighth consecutive backpack giveaway organized by Ike’s mother Jane, who runs the foundation with the help of family members, volunteers and board members.
Garland ISD Board Member Linda Griffin welcomed the children with a rousing motivational talk. She reminded the students of the importance of following the classroom rules and reminded them to get the proper amount of sleep so they would be on time for school.
“For you to be good students, you need eight hours of sleep,” she said. “Your teachers want you to be alert.”
Griffin also talked to the students about being kind and asked the kids what that means. Their answers were spot on – be nice, treat others the way you’d like to be treated and be respectful.
“In the classroom, you are there to learn. Respect your teachers and respect the administrators,” Griffin told them.
Dr. Bob Dunbar, assistant principal at Austin Academy now as well as when Ike was there, addressed the group next. He told the kids that Ike worked hard in school and was always nice to everyone.
“He raised the level of the people around him when he was at Austin,” Dunbar said. “I knew that Ike would be successful at something.”
He reminded the students that even though they do not yet know what they want to do later, they must begin to work hard now.
“You have to be doing everything you can do,” he said. “When you go to middle school and high school, there are important decisions about what classes to take.”
Dunbar also thanked the Diogus for all they do for the community.
Jane then introduced Mike and Becky Encinia, the owners of the Rowlett Chik fil A on Highway 66 and thanked them for sponsoring the event as well as providing lunch. They brought the Chik fil A Cow who helped pass out backpacks, danced with the kids and took photos with them.
Jane also expressed gratitude for the volunteers and Ikandy board members and she thanked Garland’s First Presbyterian Church for the use of their facility for the event. Church member Cheryl Clark’s help was also invaluable.
“We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts,” she said.
About Ikandy Foundation: The mission of the foundation is to provide empowerment, resources and leadership opportunities to equip our next generation of leaders, from all walks of life, to believe, to achieve and to succeed. Through community events and charitable endowments, the foundation achieves its goals of inspiring and equipping a new generation. Each year, the foundation facilitates a number of opportunities for kids to learn to give back, grow and change for the better. For more information, visit www.ikandyfoundation.com.