Ciara and Russell Wilson are opening up their big hearts to fund a charter school in the Seattle, Washington area through their Why Not You Foundation.
The married couple and new parents have contributed $1.75 million to rebrand an existing charter program known as Cascade Midway Academy.
As this is where Ciara and Russell make their home base, it’s especially close and important to them.
The Cascade high school program was set to debut this year before the pandemic forced founders Garth Reeves and Scott Canfield to delay opening.
In need of assistance to keep the school afloat, the founders reached out to the foundation for aid and after the foundation said yes, the school will be changing its name to the Why Not You Academy.
However, Ciara and Russell won’t be involved with operations.
“We’ve always held the belief that life’s successes start with a good education, but recognize that access isn’t always created equally for all,” the couple shared in a statement. “The Why Not You Foundation was created with the concept of empowering youth to lead with a why not you attitude and that’s why it was important for our foundation to partner with Scott, Garth, and Cascade Public Schools to help open doors for kids from less fortunate backgrounds.”
They added, “This school is a longtime dream of ours and it was important for us to find a way to combine traditional classroom learning with community and mentorship-based activities, in order to prepare kids for the real world. Why Not You is based on the idea that it can start with one and our hope is that this school will be the first of many.”
The academy is expected to open in fall 2021.
Just over the weekend, Russell showed everyone how to wish your significant other a happy birthday. See what happened here…
