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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — L.M. Smith Middle School in east Birmingham re­ceived improvements to its facilities Tuesday by a star-studded cast.

Mo Williams, Los Angeles Clippers guard and former University of Alabama bas­ketball player; NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier; Keisha Brown of the WNBA; Manolo Sanchez, BBVA Com­pass Bank President and CEO; and Birmingham Mayor William Bell along with 230 Compass em­ployee volunteers all partici­pated in sprucing up the school.

Retired NBA star Robert Horry was scheduled to at­tend, but was unable to make it following the death of his daughter.

Volunteers from BBVA Compass and NBA Cares painted sports murals on the school’s walls, donated new books, landscaped the outside of the school and assembled basketball-themed tables and chairs for the school’s library.

A total of $200,000 dollars in volunteer hours and materials were donated by the two organizations to the Birmingham school.

“When students see the changes, they’ll know that someone cares about them,”said Lanier, an ambassador for NBA Cares, said.

School Principal Charles Willis said that he was ex­cited to be able to provide his students with a more positive learning environment.

The school, like many, faces a reduction in staff because of state budget cuts and will have to redesign their class schedules to some extent for next year, he said.

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