Friday, February 26th, 2010...11:28 am

The Power of $3

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“The power of $3.” That’s a line David Robinson dropped on me in a recent conversation regarding a current Carver Academy fundraiser. Robinson is asking Spurs fans to donate as little as $3 to the work of the Carver Academy.

Robinson has personally donated 10 million.

San Antonio’s Hall of Fame center is thinking about the future, and he’s hoping to use the power of social networking and the principles of microfinance to create a stable financial base for The Carver Academy.

“Things are so connected now, there’s so much connectivity, that we want to use that to appeal to folks to help with the work of the Academy,” Robinson said.

Specifically, the Carver Academy has teamed with the people at Pink Dingo to provide a way for fans to donate-or, more precisely, micro donate-to the work of the Carver Academy through The Admiral Challenge.

The Admiral Challenge is seeking 10,000 people to donate $3 apiece by March 3. Two winners-the person who recruited the most people and a randomly selected donor-will win tickets to the Spurs-Hornets game on March 5, seated next to David Robinson. Airfare and hotel expenses are covered.

The Carver Academy, as our readers may know, is 95% scholarship funded, even though it’s a flagship private school. The students test in the top 15% across private schools nationwide.

“It’s an important to me, and it’s a goal of the school, to provide the highest quality education for kids who couldn’t otherwise afford it,” Robinson said.

The Carver Academy is ethnically diverse and most of its students come from families who otherwise couldn’t afford the would-be rate of $10,000 per child per year.

“I have vision for this to impact generations. We’re already seeing leaders emerge from this group of kids.”

In the short term-the next 10 years-Robinson wants to build a stable financial base. But in the long term-which he realizes must include the decades after his own passing-Robinson wants the Carver Academy to continue to flourish and become a model of education for schools across the globe. The Carver Academy is currently strategizing for schools in Africa and Japan.

“You know, I could have played a few more years. Even an NBA minimum salary is a lot more money than most people make. Gregg Popovich told me my role would diminish a little, but I could have kept on playing,” Robinson concedes.

“My body was slowing down, and I just took it as the Lord wanted me to do something else. I felt called to give back. To help the people of San Antonio. And this was the opportunity I was given.” That something else is Robinson pouring his time and resources into the Carver Academy.

“Our vision is for the Carver Academy to exist as a hub of inspiration for families and educators in San Antonio and throughout the world, “Robinson said ambitiously.

So here’s how we’re trying to help. 48MoH has set up a Pink Dingo account. We’re going to run a little competition with Pounding the Rock to see who can recruit the most contributors for The Admiral Challenge. If either of our sites win, we’ll conduct a drawing for the tickets to see the March 5th Spurs-Hornets game in the company of David Robinson.

So here’s what you should do: go to Pink Dingo and donate your 2.99 with me as your recruiter. Donate here.

And, by all means, sign up and recruit your own.

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