Stephen and Ayesha Curry are not just household names in basketball and culinary arts; they are also the driving force behind the impactful Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. This organization is dedicated to transforming the lives of children in Oakland, California, focusing on three core pillars: nutritious meals, quality education, and safe spaces for play. In this insightful conversation with Chris Helfrich, CEO of the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, we delve into the heart of their mission, exploring how Eat Learn Play principles are creating lasting change in their adopted hometown.
Chris Helfrich, CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, smiling confidently.
The Genesis of Eat. Learn. Play.: A Dinner Table Vision
The story of Eat. Learn. Play. began in late 2018, not in a boardroom, but around the Curry family dinner table. Chris Helfrich recalls these formative conversations, highlighting Stephen and Ayesha’s desire to unite their philanthropic passions to make a significant impact. Their vision was clear from the outset: to create a foundation deeply rooted in supporting the children of Oakland. This commitment was solidified when they launched Eat. Learn. Play. in July 2019, shortly after the Golden State Warriors’ departure from Oakland to San Francisco. This timing underscored the Currys’ unwavering dedication to ensuring Oakland, the city where they built their family and celebrated three NBA championships, would not be overlooked.
Oakland, despite its vibrant culture, faces significant challenges, including high rates of childhood food insecurity. Nearly 40% of Oakland households with children struggle to access adequate food. Ayesha Curry, already a vocal advocate against childhood hunger through her work with No Kid Hungry, passionately championed nutrition as a foundational pillar of the foundation. She recognized that providing nutritious meals is essential for children to reach their full potential.
Stephen Curry brought his own deeply held beliefs to the table, emphasizing the critical role of play and youth sports in a child’s development. He understood firsthand the invaluable lessons learned from coaches and teammates, attributing much of his personal growth to the experiences and joys of playing sports. He envisioned Eat. Learn. Play. providing safe spaces and opportunities for Oakland’s youth to experience these same benefits, not to cultivate future athletes, but to foster healthy and fulfilling childhoods.
Education, the third pillar of Eat. Learn. Play., was equally non-negotiable for the Currys. Recognizing the vast and complex landscape of education, they approached this area with humility and a desire to identify where they could make the most meaningful contribution. This led them to focus on childhood literacy, recognizing it as a crucial foundation for future success.
The name itself, Eat. Learn. Play., was a deliberate choice, reflecting the foundation’s core mission. Ayesha Curry insisted on moving away from “The Stephen and Ayesha Curry Family Foundation,” feeling it was too focused on them rather than the intended impact. This pivotal moment led to the adoption of the mantra “Impact over legacy,” a guiding principle that continues to shape every aspect of Eat. Learn. Play.
Navigating Opportunities and Challenges with High-Profile Founders
Working with figures like Stephen and Ayesha Curry presents unique opportunities and challenges. Chris Helfrich acknowledges the immense privilege of collaborating with such authentic and generous individuals. Their high profiles bring invaluable assets to Eat. Learn. Play.: a powerful voice to amplify their message, a broad platform to reach a wider audience, and an extensive network to mobilize resources. These advantages enable the foundation to grow rapidly and access opportunities that might be harder for other nonprofits to secure.
However, this high profile also brings challenges. One significant hurdle is managing the constant influx of requests and ensuring that partnerships and donations are genuinely aligned with the foundation’s mission. Helfrich describes the need to discern between those genuinely interested in supporting eat learn play initiatives in Oakland and those seeking to leverage the Currys’ fame for personal gain or unrelated causes. Maintaining a laser focus on Oakland and the three core pillars requires saying “no” to well-meaning but misaligned opportunities, a necessary discipline to maximize impact.
Another challenge is the potential over-reliance on the Currys themselves. While their involvement is invaluable, Stephen Curry actively encourages the Eat. Learn. Play. team to operate independently and confidently. He empowers the team to take ownership and represent the foundation effectively, ensuring its sustainability beyond their direct presence. This approach fosters a strong organizational identity and cultivates a team capable of driving the mission forward.
Community Impact: The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus and Beyond
Eat. Learn. Play. has made a profound impact in Oakland, most notably providing 25 million meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among their innovative initiatives, the Eat. Learn. Play. bus stands out as a symbol of their creative approach to community engagement.
The Eat. Learn. Play. bus is a retrofitted school bus transformed into a mobile resource center. One side functions as a free mobile market offering nutritious food, while the other side operates as a free mobile bookstore stocked with engaging reading materials. This mobile model emerged from lessons learned during the pandemic, recognizing the power of bringing resources directly to children in their communities.
Inspired by the joyful anticipation children feel when the ice cream truck arrives, the Eat. Learn. Play. bus aims to create a similar positive experience around accessing essential resources. When the bus arrives at schools and community locations weekly, children eagerly flock to it. Partnerships with local food banks ensure the bus is well-stocked and efficiently operated. Crucially, the bus transforms the experience of receiving charity, replacing potential stigma with joy and dignity. This innovative approach has garnered national attention, with communities across the country seeking to replicate the Eat. Learn. Play. bus model.
The foundation’s commitment to joy extends beyond the bus. Recognizing the challenges facing Oakland and the need to inject positivity into the community, Eat. Learn. Play. intentionally incorporates joy into all its programs. They believe that Oakland children deserve the best possible childhoods, filled with happiness and opportunity.
Strategic Partnerships: Collaboration for Community Transformation
Partnerships are fundamental to Eat. Learn. Play.‘s success. Operating with over 30 community partners, including a strong relationship with the Oakland Unified School District, the foundation prioritizes collaboration and community-led solutions. Chris Helfrich emphasizes their approach of listening to local experts and leaders, combining their insights with the foundation’s resources to create impactful partnerships.
Eat. Learn. Play. initially adopted a strategy of making smaller investments across various areas within their three pillars. This allowed them to learn, adapt, and identify where they could achieve the greatest impact. A pivotal moment came during a year-long strategic planning process, heavily informed by community feedback and research. This led to a strategic shift towards focusing on improving existing systems, particularly the public school system.
Recognizing that Oakland public schools serve 35,000 children daily across the eat learn play spectrum, Eat. Learn. Play. made a significant commitment to transforming the school experience. Rather than simply providing direct financial contributions, they adopted a “point guard” role, convening partners and leveraging resources to support systemic improvements within the school district. This strategic approach aims to create sustainable, long-term change for generations of Oakland students.
Corporate Partnerships: Leveraging Business for Social Good
Eat. Learn. Play. benefits from strong corporate partnerships with organizations like Salesforce and Kaiser Permanente. These collaborations are facilitated by the Currys’ authentic involvement and the foundation’s compelling mission. The Currys’ commitment to covering all administrative and fundraising overhead ensures that 100% of donations directly support programs, making Eat. Learn. Play. an attractive partner for businesses seeking impactful social investments.
Corporate partners are drawn to Eat. Learn. Play.‘s tangible and approachable programs, allowing them to connect with specific initiatives that resonate with their values. The foundation also cultivates meaningful volunteer opportunities for corporate employees, fostering a deeper connection to the work and impact of Eat. Learn. Play. By welcoming corporate partners as true collaborators, Eat. Learn. Play. builds strong, mutually beneficial relationships that amplify their collective impact.
Future Vision: Literacy and Playgrounds for a Brighter Future
Looking ahead, Eat. Learn. Play. has set ambitious goals, driven by community needs and a commitment to creating lasting change. Two key areas of focus are literacy tutoring and schoolyard renovations.
Recognizing the critical literacy crisis in Oakland, where a staggering 85% of children of color in public elementary schools read below grade level, Eat. Learn. Play. is launching a major literacy initiative. They are investing $25 million over five years to provide professional, high-dosage tutoring to 10,000 Oakland students who are significantly behind in reading. This commitment stems from the belief that access to quality tutoring should not be a socioeconomic privilege, but a right for every child. A pilot program demonstrated remarkable results, fueling the foundation’s determination to scale this impactful intervention.
Simultaneously, Eat. Learn. Play. is transforming schoolyards across Oakland into vibrant spaces for play and learning. Many existing schoolyards are outdated and lack adequate facilities for recreation and outdoor learning. Eat. Learn. Play. undertakes million-dollar capital projects to remodel these spaces, replacing asphalt with nature areas, building playgrounds designed with student input, and creating outdoor classrooms and recreational facilities. Having completed 15 schoolyard renovations, with 13 more planned in the next two years and dozens more to follow, Eat. Learn. Play. is visibly changing the landscape of Oakland schools and injecting joy into the daily lives of students.
Leadership and Legacy: A Personal Transformation
Leading Eat. Learn. Play. has been a transformative experience for Chris Helfrich, both personally and professionally. He describes the journey as his first true entrepreneurial endeavor, requiring him to build an organization from the ground up. This experience has instilled humility, recognizing the need to surround himself with experts and empower them to excel. The foundation has grown to nearly 20 employees, a testament to its rapid growth and expanding impact.
Personally, Helfrich expresses deep gratitude for the opportunity to lead Eat. Learn. Play., acknowledging the privilege of working alongside the Currys. He has gained a profound appreciation for their ability to manage multiple priorities, remain present, and connect genuinely with people. Observing their leadership has been a valuable learning experience, shaping his own approach and fostering a deeper sense of purpose.
Beyond Basketball: Stephen Curry’s Potential
Reflecting on Stephen Curry’s multifaceted talents, Chris Helfrich speculates on alternative career paths he might have pursued. Highlighting Curry’s intense competitiveness and exceptional hand-eye coordination, Helfrich suggests professional golf as a strong possibility. Beyond sports, he sees Curry’s personality and intellect as well-suited for fields like education or politics.
Advice for Aspiring Foundation Leaders
For those embarking on the journey of leading a celebrity-backed foundation, Chris Helfrich offers valuable advice: prioritize long-term learning and growth over rapid scaling. He emphasizes the importance of humility, patience, and embracing the journey of building a sustainable organization. Rushing to grow quickly can lead to missed learning opportunities and hinder long-term impact. Commitment to a long-term vision and a willingness to learn and adapt are essential for creating lasting, meaningful change.
Discover and Support Eat. Learn. Play.
To learn more about the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and support their vital work in Oakland, visit their website at eatlearnplay.org. You can also find them on social media platforms. Donations are the lifeblood of Eat. Learn. Play., directly funding their ambitious programs and initiatives. By contributing, you can become a part of their mission to nourish, educate, and empower Oakland’s children through the principles of eat learn play.
