![\"Jazz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jazz-with-students-in-lab.jpg\")
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. hosted a ribbon cutting unveiling a new computer lab at Community School 55.<\/p>\n
Photo by Keke Grant-Floyd<\/p>\n
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Jazz Chisholm Foundation hosted a ribbon cutting unveiling a new computer lab at Community School 55, also known as the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, in Morrisania.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2023, Chisholm established the Jazz Chisholm Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing meaningful opportunities for young athletes and their families from high need communities in Florida and the Bahamas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chisholm said giving back to the community was important because he wanted the youth to have access to opportunities he didn\u2019t have growing up.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it was always giving back to the future. I was raised in public school, and I\u2019m a kid from the hood that didn\u2019t really get as many opportunities as anybody else,\u201d Chisholm said. \u201cI want to be able to give kids all the opportunities that I can help with.\u201d<\/p>\n This is his fourth visit to C.S. 55 and he has fostered a bond with the students.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cGiving back gives me a different feeling especially from the places that I\u2019m from \u2014 the Bahamas, my great grandad\u2019s from Brooklyn [and] my dad in Florida. I really love it. I love coming and seeing the kids smile,\u201d Chisholm said.<\/p>\n The brand-new computer lab was funded by proceeds from his foundation\u2019s 2025 Tunnel Fits and Kicks Fashion Event<\/a>, which raised over $200,000 in support for youth in New York, Florida, and the Bahamas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chisholm said he wants to expand his foundation\u2019s reach to more schools and young people by hosting similar events uplifting them and supporting their dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel like we\u2019re getting bigger and bigger, and it\u2019s not going to stop here. We started off super small with just in the Bahamas and Florida, and now we\u2019ve extended out to New York,\u201d Chisholm added.\u00a0<\/p>\n He hopes that his foundation\u2019s efforts will continue to reach more schools in New York, Florida and the Bahamas, because of his family\u2019s roots in these communities.<\/p>\n He\u2019s originally from the Bahamas, his great-grandfather lived in Brooklyn, and his father lives in Florida.\n<\/p>\n In the lab, students will have access to 25 touchscreen laptops, an interactive display screen for collaborative learning, a PlayStation 5 console and a simulator for after-school activities and clubs.<\/p>\n This upgraded space will also allow students to take statewide exams, engage in on-hands learning while fostering creativity and supporting academic success.\n<\/p>\n Because of having perfect attendance all year, each participating student from class 501 also received a new pair of Jordan sneakers.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Fifth grader Lissandra Perozo, 11, was one of the first students who toured the new space.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cMy thoughts were like oh my god, this actually really happening and it\u2019s by a celebrity\u2026 And it might benefit my future because I might become a gamer or a YouTuber,\u201d Perozo said.<\/p>\n According to Luis Torres, the longtime principal of C.S. 55, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and his foundation built a great working relationship with the school through constant communication and commitment.<\/p>\n The computer lab was built in three months. The existence of this computer lab fills a \u201cmajor gap\u201d within the school.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be doing gaming, we\u2019re going to be doing all types of stuff \u2014 coding from the lab \u2014 and we even have flight simulators that we\u2019re using to teach children how to fly planes,\u201d Torres said. \u201cFor our school, we\u2019re in a good place as far as technology.\u201d<\/p>\n Reach Keke Grant-Floyd at keiwana.grantfloyd19@gmail.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> and follow us on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t