Photo: An artist’s rendering of planned updates to MSU’s Alfred Berkowitz Basketball Complex.
It Works! may have relocated its corporate headquarters from Michigan to Florida, but Founders Mark and Cindy Pentecost are still Spartans fans. Michigan State University has announced that a $3 million gift from the couple will fund improvements to its men’s basketball program.
The donation contributes to MSU’s ongoing Empower Extraordinary campaign, which launched publicly in October 2014. Set to conclude in 2018, the campaign aims to raise $1.5 billion for the university. The Pentecosts support Empower Extraordinary alongside more than 30 other leaders and volunteers on the Athletic Director’s Campaign Leadership Council.
Mark Pentecost, It Works! President and CEO, grew up among Spartans fans in MSU’s hometown of East Lansing. As a former basketball coach, he has also witnessed firsthand how athletics can impact an individual’s life. The Pentecosts’ gift will help MSU extend that impact with updates to the men’s basketball offices and practice facilities at its Alfred Berkowitz Basketball Complex. The donation also establishes an endowment for further facility improvements in the future.
“Prior to entering the direct selling industry, I was a teacher and high school basketball coach trying to help kids accomplish their goals. I still feel like I get to be a coach every day, but now on a larger scale with thousands of It Works! team members around the world,” Mark Pentecost told DSN. “Giving back to the student athletes at MSU is something we’ve always wanted to do, and we hope it’ll help them continue to perform at the highest level and reach their dreams.”
