The Swarm to Serve initiative, made up by the Charlotte Hornets Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility Department, is committed to inspiring a philanthropic culture and strengthening the Charlotte region through intentional partnerships, charitable giving and social projects in the areas of Education, Wellness, Hunger and Military Care.
MISSION & VISION: With a mission to be a catalyst of change in the areas of Education, Hunger, Military Care and Wellness, The foundation’s vision is to shape the Carolinas through their Swarm to Serve Initiatives.
FOCUS AREAS
EDUCATION HUNGER MILITARY WELLNESS
ENGAGEMENT
PROGRAMS
PICK & READ PROGRAM– The Charlotte Hornets Pick & Read program serves as a virtual literacy resource for elementary schools. Hugo and the Hornets MC will host a series of Zoom webinars with authors/illustrators of color, whose books reflect subject matter relating to social justice and racial inequality, as well as highlighting children of color.
CORNUCOPIA– In partnership with Food Lion and Coca Cola, the Charlotte Hornets provided 1,000 meals to low-income families during Thanksgiving, through their annual Cornucopia event.
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM– In partnership with Bank of America, the Hornets honor military service members and veterans for their unwavering service to our country and their impact in the community during Hornets home games throughout the season. Recipients are acknowledged prior to the national anthem and during an on-court presentation and given six tickets to the game. In addition, the Hornets make a $1,000 donation to their charity of choice.
Jr. NBA CLINICS– Jr. NBA is in place to promote youth basketball participation and the benefits young people get from playing the game of basketball. Through these clinics, kids ages 7-14 in Charlotte are able to learn skills like sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline.
FUNDRAISING AND WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
The Charlotte Hornets offer a number of ways to participate in fundraisers and nonprofit organizations to give back to the community that they represent. Learn more about getting involved here.
ALLY COMMUNITY CORNER
The Ally Community Corner features fundraisers for the Charlotte Hornets Foundations such as a prize wheel or autographed memorabilia sales. All funds raised by the Charlotte Hornets Foundation at the Ally Community Corner are reinvested back into the community.
CODY ZELLER’S SOCK DRIVE
Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller and Hanes are encouraging fans to help the team collect socks for those in need within the Charlotte community. Presented by Hanes, Cody Zeller’s Sock Drive collects socks to be distributed to The Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Women and Children’s Shelter, an emergency shelter in Charlotte.
