Ciara and Russell Wilson are helping to fund a charter school in Seattle, Washington, with a multimillion dollar donation through their Why Not You Foundation.
The couple has contributed $1.75 million (£1.4 million) to rebrand an existing charter program known as Cascade Midway Academy, which 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. In honour of the generous donation, they will change the name of the school to the Why Not You Academy - although 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 recognise 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 went on.
The couple added that establishing the school is one of their longtime dreams and it was important for them to find a way to combine "traditional classroom learning with community and mentorship-based activities", as they sought 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," proclaimed the pair, who share young two kids, along with Ciara's child from her previous relationship with rapper Future.
The academy is expected to open in late 2021.
