Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Surprises Rainier Athletes with Holiday Shopping Spree
Since being drafted in 2012, connecting with young people in the Seattle community has always been a top priority for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
On Tuesday night, Wilson surprised a group of in-need youth athletes from Seattle-based nonprofit Rainier Athletes with a holiday shopping spree at DICK's Sporting Goods in Bellevue.
In a cooperative effort between the DICK's Foundation Sports Matter program and Wilson's Why Not You Foundation, the star quarterback gave each child a $200 gift card to spend on new athletic equipment and apparel of their choice. Additionally, Wilson presented a $25,000 grant to the Rainier Athletes organization on behalf of the DICK's Sporting Goods Foundation, which was launched in 2014 to address the youth sports funding crisis.
Since its inception, the foundation has pledged more than $100 million to provide an opportunity for more children to play sports and has impacted more than 1 million youth athletes in the United States.
Serving as a celebrity shopping assistant, Wilson chatted 1-on-1 with many of the kids, discussing the overall impact sports have had on him and how much he enjoyed receiving new sports gear during the holidays.
Renowned for his weekly Tuesday visits to Seattle Children's Hospital and other notable charity work, Wilson has stepped up his "giving Tuesdays" this holiday season and posted a short video summarizing the night's festivities on Instagram.
