It was a day to say thank you. And at the end of the day, it was another example of a legendary basketball figure making an assist.

On Friday, October 30, more than 125 people came to Educare Arizona to welcome Steve Nash at “Assisting Our Kids: A Special Thank You To Steve Nash.” The event was in recognition to the Steve Nash Foundation’s extraordinary contribution to early childhood education and to Educare Arizona itself.

It was all part of what ended up officially being “Steve Nash Day” in the City of Phoenix and State of Arizona, as declared by Mayor Greg Stanton and Governor Doug Ducey in proclamations presented to Nash at the Educare Arizona event.

Nash visited Arizona to be inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor at halftime of the Suns-Trail Blazers game that night.

“It was a truly extraordinary day for all of us who have not only supported Educare Arizona over the years but have admired Steve for all he has done to help kids,” said Christine Nowaczyk, Board President of Educare Arizona. “We were thrilled to have so many people come to our thank-you event — and even more thrilled that Steve provided one more assist to Educare Arizona. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Educare Arizona, we would like to thank Steve for his support.”

“Assisting Our Kids” featured remarks from Nowaczyk as well as other leaders in early childhood education, including Dr. Jeff Smith, Superintendent of the Balsz School District, Jessie Rasmussen of the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and Charlie Joughin of Invest In US. Nash was introduced and presented with the proclamations by good friend LZ Granderson of ABC News.

During his remarks, Nash talked about the value of early childhood education in front of a kindergarten class full of children who benefitted from Educare Arizona.

“To see all these kids that are impacted in such an incredible and meaningful way, it’s something I couldn’t say anything could make us more proud to be a part of for our foundation,” Nash said.

Nash encouraged those in the audience and in the community to support Educare Arizona and early childhood education. Those interested in making a contribution to Educare Arizona may do so at this link.

The event received media coverage from azcentral.com, nba.com and several other local media outlets. It also included a video tribute from Senator John McCain, who thanked Nash for his contributions to the community on and off the court.

Educare Arizona would like to thank those who attended the event on Friday. We hope you enjoyed this special opportunity to pay tribute to someone whose assists are truly making a difference for children and families.

If you were not able to attend and would like to support Educare Arizona, click here to make a contribution.