About 300 kids from three Oklahoma City nonprofits got backpacks, free haircuts and a visit from Rumble the Bison this weekend, courtesy of Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein. The Hartenstein Foundation held its back-to-school bash on Saturday, just three days before Oklahoma City Public Schools opens its doors for the 2026-2027 school year.
The event brought together children and families from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, Positive Tomorrows and the City Rescue Mission, according to Back Sports Page. Hartenstein hosted the event for kids across the Oklahoma City metro, as reported by News 9, with his foundation handing out school supplies, free backpacks and complimentary haircuts from local barbers.
“I wanted the students to have what they needed to start the school year,” Hartenstein said, per News 9's reporting. He added that starting his basketball season in Oklahoma with an event like this is important to him, the station noted.
Partner Nonprofits Serve OKC's Most Vulnerable Kids
The choice of partner organizations was deliberate. Positive Tomorrows is Oklahoma's only elementary school and social service agency created specifically for children and families experiencing homelessness, serving 191 families and nearly 700 individuals per school year, according to Positive Tomorrows. The private school offers specialized education and family assistance without receiving state-backed per-pupil public funding.
City Rescue Mission, founded in 1960, operates a 420-bed shelter facility in Oklahoma City and provides emergency shelter, meals and annual back-to-school assistance for homeless and near-homeless metro residents, per MinistryWatch. The mission reportedly serves over 280,000 meals annually to low-income families in the city.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, meanwhile, was recently selected by the Oklahoma City Council to operate a new $18.7 million, 48,370-square-foot MAPS 4 Youth Center at Woodson Park, according to the City of Oklahoma City. MAPS 4 is a voter-approved municipal improvement initiative, underscoring the growing local infrastructure supporting one of Hartenstein's primary partner groups.
Timing Lines Up With School Start
Oklahoma City Public Schools, the largest district in the metro, set Tuesday as the official first day of classes for the new academic year, according to MetroFamily Magazine. That timing made the Saturday bash a last chance for families connected to the three nonprofits to stock up on supplies and grooming before the bell rings.
The Saturday event featured music from official Thunder DJ Emcee One alongside the appearance from Rumble the Bison, per Thunder Cares. Local barbers partnered with the foundation to make sure kids left with fresh haircuts ahead of the new school year.
A Pattern of Giving Back in Oklahoma City
This wasn't a one-off gesture. Earlier this summer, Hartenstein's foundation funded and dedicated a new community basketball court at the Northeast Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City and presented the club with a $50,000 check, according to LUXIERE Magazine. The outlet notes Hartenstein regularly visits local club sites as an active community member.
The NBA and NBPA named Hartenstein the winner of the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for the 2025 offseason, recognizing his philanthropic efforts in both Oklahoma City and Germany, according to NBA.com. That award followed back-to-school shopping sprees and a $22,000 donation to OKC youth nonprofits Hartenstein made during the 2025 offseason.
Hartenstein's ties to the city deepened last month when he officially re-signed with the Thunder on a new three-year, $75 million contract extension after joining the franchise in 2024, per Hoops Rumors. The restructured deal was designed to help the team's salary cap situation while securing Hartenstein's long-term future in Oklahoma City, where he served as a key frontcourt starter during the Thunder's 2024-2025 championship run that delivered the franchise's first NBA title since relocating to Oklahoma.
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