NEW YORK – The annual NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan tips off on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Los Angeles’ South Park Elementary School with an NBA Cares Reading Rally and the dedication of a newly refurbished technology center featuring new HP computers and printers, followed by a visit to patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  Throughout the six-day Community Caravan – an effort highlighted by the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service on Friday, Feb. 18 – the NBA family, including All-Stars, NBA and WNBA players and legends, and NBA Development League players will join NBA executives, partners, and guests to work together on more than 30 hands-on service projects and activities designed to leave a lasting impact on Los Angeles communities.

The NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan continues through Monday, Feb. 21, with events including a Special Olympics clinic, Dribble to Stop Diabetes clinics in partnership with the American Diabetes Association and sanofi-aventis U.S., a Vaccines for Teens event in collaboration with the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) and sanofi pasteur, wheelchair basketball clinics, and an NBA/WNBA FIT All-Star Youth Celebration for 500 local boys and girls in collaboration with the Let’s Move! campaign.  In addition, more than 3,500 Los Angeles students from more than 50 local schools will attend the 2011 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam through the T-Mobile All-Stars program to reward their outstanding academic and community service achievements. Throughout NBA All-Star, NBA players will also treat five children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and their families to unforgettable experiences.

“NBA All-Star provides a unique opportunity for the entire NBA family and our partners to demonstrate our shared commitment to social responsibility,” said NBA Vice President of Community Relations Todd Jacobson.  “The NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan features six days of hands-on community service to support important social issues, including education, youth and family development, and health and wellness.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service will highlight the NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan as more than 1,500 members of the NBA family, including the East and West NBA All-Star teams, will join community-based organizations, including City Year, Rebuilding Together, and KaBOOM!, and NBA marketing partners adidas, BBVA, HP, Kia Motors, and State Farm on Feb. 18 to create six places where Los Angeles residents can live, learn, or play.  Projects will include three home renovations, the refurbishment of a senior center, the creation of a new Reading & Learning Center, and the construction of a new playground.

NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA’s long tradition of addressing important social issues worldwide.  Through this umbrella program, the NBA and its teams and players have donated more than $150 million to charity, provided more than 1.5 million hours of hands-on service to the community, and created more than 560 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.