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After the initial surprise, the Bay Area humanitarian headed to the soccer field to get moving and coach the kids with drills and games.

\"Healthy, active lifestyles are huge for kids just to have a solid balance and to find their true inner child -- that's a big part of identifying your sense of identity, your confidence,\" he said. \"The sense of community and being able to play with other kids from all different backgrounds, different walks of life, different ages, it's just about self discovery.\"

\"PHOTO:
KGO
PHOTO: Steph Curry surprised middle school students at an event put on by his Eat.Play.Learn Foundation, on June 5, 2023, in Oakland, Calif.
>

The Akron, Ohio, native also reflected on his own upbringing.

\"I was fortunate enough to not have to worry about 'Where can I go to shoot hoops or find kids that were my age that could throw the football around or play baseball with?' ... You realize how much you learn in those environments and every kid deserves that,\" he said. \"So, we're trying to find creative ways to implement that here in the Oakland community, whether it's refurbishing playgrounds or sponsoring programs that are providing positive coaching and resources ... all those things matter, and I think it's a good balance to make sure these kids have as much fun as possible.\"

Great day w/ @StephenCurry30 & @eatlearnplay in Oakland. Today focused on the \"Play\" pillar, surprising kids from Oakland Genesis Soccer program. More tonight at 6 & on #AfterTheGame later this week. cc @SC30inc #DubNation

More via @abc7newsbayarea --> https://t.co/WJyOtdLEqT pic.twitter.com/WYhJIwi5EQ

— Chris Alvarez (@CAlvarezABC7) June 6, 2023

The Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which Curry founded with his wife Ayesha in 2019, is filled with like-minded leaders who Curry said are \"taking the vision of we want\" and \"connecting with the community.\" He said the organization is \"most proud of staying true to who we are and what we're doing across those three pillars.\"

\"What we do, we do extremely well, and we know that that's going to continue to change lives and the kids that we want to support,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
KGO
PHOTO: Steph Curry surprised middle school students at an event put on by his Eat.Play.Learn Foundation, on June 5, 2023, in Oakland, Calif.
>

Eat.Learn.Play. has staple events with programming throughout the year from summer through the holidays, including Christmas with the Curry's, a charity golf tournament with WorkDay, and more sponsored events.

\"We just have so many people that believe in us and it's not just because of who me and Ayesha are, it's because of the work that we're doing and what the E.L.P. stands for -- and I think that's special,\" Curry added.

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