Max Strus builds community to support children facing serious illness

The Max Strus Family Foundation has provided $10,000 grants to young patients and funded a Chicago mental-health nonprofit that is expanding school workshops; the foundation distributed about $160,000 in 2025.

Max Strus, a forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his family launched the Max Strus Family Foundation to support youth facing illness and mental-health needs in communities where he has lived. The foundation raises money through camp registrations and local events, and Strus aims for a hands-on, relationship-driven approach. Recipients have included teenagers recovering from serious illnesses and local nonprofits providing school-based mental-health programs. Strus has also been rehabbing a foot injury and has remained involved with foundation activities while preparing to return to play. Notable facts: - The foundation distributed about $160,000 in 2025 and operates with a volunteer board. - Two young beneficiaries — a teen who recovered from Guillain-Barré syndrome and a teen treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma — each received $10,000 awards tied to a new Gary Strong Award given at Strus's basketball camp. - The foundation awarded a grant to Chicago nonprofit No Shame On U, which runs mental-health workshops in schools and, with the support, expects to reach roughly 1,700 students and complete a Teen Mental Health Guide. - Strus and his family members have made personal visits to recipients, attended local games, and sat in on youth leadership sessions to learn about program impact. Summary: The foundation combines direct financial support for individual medical and rehabilitation needs with grants to local organizations working on youth mental health. The nonprofit partner expects to expand its school workshops and finish a Teen Mental Health Guide, and Strus is reported as nearing a return to play while continuing foundation involvement.