ATHLETE PHILANTHROPY

ETHAN PALGON, staff writer

Professional athletes earn sizable salaries and are often idolized by millions of fans worldwide. This puts them in a unique position of being able to donate and raise money for their favorite charities. These philanthropic acts make athletes some of the most generous benefactors when it comes to helping out the less fortunate. First up on the list is Tiger Woods. Woods, who many may call the “world’s best golfer,” has been involved in charity work and donations for around 20 years. His Tiger Woods Foundation provides money for deserving impoverished students who want to attend college. It also awards dozens of grants to improve underprivileged children’s health. Millions of young people have benefitted from his generosity. As of recently, the foundation has given out over $30 million in grants, scholarships and internships. It also provides specialized education programs for graphic design, marine biology and aerospace engineering majors so that these students can develop a meaningful career after they graduate from college. Additionally, he donates regularly to Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Rainforest Foundation Fund and Caddy for a Cure. Another one of the world’s most philanthropic athletes is Serena Williams. Not only is Williams a whiz on the tennis court, she has also been given many awards for her work with charities such as the Young Heroes Award for her support of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award and the Celebrity Role Model Award from the Avon Foundation for her work fighting breast cancer. Williams, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador, has traveled to Ghana with UNICEF to lobby for better educational opportunities for children in third-world countries. She also actively supports the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to those who may have been denied a fair trial. Her foundation has helped build two schools in Kenya, The Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni and Wee Secondary School in Makueni. David Beckham, the world-famous soccer star, also supports a wide variety of charities, including UNICEF and its Unite Against AIDS Campaign. His own charity, the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust, provides children in need with wheelchairs and other support. Beckham has also advocated for other charities, including the Red Cross, Malaria No More, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Peace One Day. He is a supporter of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the war veteran advocacy group Help for Heroes. All in all, these well-known, wealthy athletes have shown the effect their fame and riches can have locally, nationally and globally on the less fortunate. With these philanthropic acts of kindness from Tiger Woods, Serena Williams and David Beckham, the world has become a better and more positive place for all.