National Basketball Association

Chris Paul unveils newly renovated Salvation Army community center

Published Sep. 23, 2014 12:16 a.m. ET

foxsports

The first time Chris Paul was here at the Salvation Army Seimon Family Youth & Community Center, he'd just been traded to the Clippers from the Hornets a couple of days earlier.

New to Los Angeles and with a new team's logo on his back, Paul was eager to help in the community. He was so smitten with the children and work going on here on South Central Boulevard that he kept coming back.

On Monday, Paul returned for some fun and a ribbon cutting ceremony â with the help of three children to work a pair of oversized scissors â to open a renovated game room, fitness center, media lounge and library. His CP3 Foundation and the Clippers Foundation partnered to give children new computers, books, iPads and other tools to better facilitate learning.

"All the kids sitting here, they have literally the world in front of them," Paul said. "They just need people behind them letting them know they have an opportunity. The computers are just a small-scale level. It's going to be up to all of us as people to tell them and show them the sky is the limit."

The kids, all wearing white Clippers T-shirts, were using the facilities as part of an after-school program. They were gathered in the media and technology lounge, where computers had screen savers with Clippers highlight plays of not only Paul, but of Griffin's dunk over the Kia and DeAndre Jordan highlight reels dunks, too.

In one week, Paul will be back in training camp with the Clippers in their quest for the franchise's first NBA title.

But first, he was giving back and having fun.

Paul helped kids exercise on treadmills and leaned over to help others with activities on computers in the library. The center has come a long way since 2011, when Paul first walked through the doors.

"I'll never forget it. It was my first opportunity to have some type of impact on L.A.," Paul said. "I never knew, back then, that it would be what it is now."

Joining Paul for Monday's event was Mortimer Jones, the executive director of the center, and Major Kyle Smith, the General Secretary of the Salvation Army Southern California Division.

"I'm so pumped because our kids get to use all this stuff," Jones said. "The investment we put into this will affect our community, the city of L.A. and our country 5-10 years from now. When we invest in our young people, anything we give them affects our lives for tomorrow."

Paul praised the Clippers and his mom for their hard work in getting the center renovated. He was happy to check out all of the new things, including red and blue chairs in the game room, the computers, the big screen TV where instructors can show children the image of their computer screen.

His favorite thing wasn't the electronics. It's the children.

"To me, to see the smiles on the kids' faces is what excites me," Paul said.

There's time for play in the game zone, but Paul made sure the kids knew what the media lounge was all about.

"Don't see these computers and think it's all about games," Paul told them. "You guys love those Ipads and stuff like that, right? In all seriousness, you guys have to try to use these as learning tools. I tell that to my own kids. I don't let my own kids play iPads during the week. It's all about getting smarter."

Then he asked the kids who was the smartest and many raised their hands.

Paul said his son, Chris, would've accompanied him to the center had he not been in school. His mom, in town from North Carolina, and brother, C.J., were there.

"This is an awesome feeling," Robin Paul said. "To see it come to fruition is just awesome. To see the kids sit down and enjoying themselves makes it even better. This is a great feeling. To us, this is what foundation work is all about. Giving back and seeing the kids enjoy it.

Robin Paul was beaming as she watched kids using computers in the library. There are many books there as well.

"I worked in a computer data center for 28 years," Robin Paul said. "I know how important technology is. I know about the children and the iPads and the games. You can also download some very educational stuff. Education is very important. It requires education to bounce a ball nowadays."

Paul is using one particular rule from his parents, no video games during the week. And his family's values helped instill in him the desire to do work like this.

"What was big for me as a child is that I had an opportunity to see my parents and my grandfather give back," Paul said. "As I got older and as soon as I was thrust into the NBA, it wasn't even a thought as to whether I'd want to do things like this.

"I tell people all the time because they ask, 'do celebrities and athletes, should they have to give back?' I don't think you have to do anything. I think you have to want to do that. People know when you're genuine and you really enjoying doing that."