Player of the Month
As we strive to achieve our mission, each month Sporting Generosity will identify an individual that has meant more to the sports world than his or her achievements on the court, ice, or field. This individual will have given back to the community by providing hope to a sick child, financial assistance to an underprivileged youth, or by becoming an advocate for a specific cause. These athletes are people who give back not out of obligation, but out of conviction in its necessity. With that said, please congratulate our March, 2011 Player of the Month.
C.J. Watson (March, 2011)
For the 2nd month in a row, Sporting Generosity has identified an individual who has taken the road less traveled to NBA success. For the 2nd month in a row, Sporting Generosity has been lucky enough to uncover a truly remarkable person who is attempting to make a difference in the community through the good fortune he has earned. C.J. Watson, a 26 year-old basketball player for the Chicago Bull, was undrafted in the 2006 NBA draft. Through hard work and perseverance, C.J. got his shot mid-way through the 2008 season with the Golden State Warriors and has never looked back.
In 2009, CJ and his family created the Quiet Storm Foundation. The foundation's mission is to provide positive educational and recreational opportunities to youths, particularly to those who are disadvantaged. Central to that mission are four educational objectives: (1) to encourage and motivate children to read, (2) to help children develop the foundational skills they need to become good readers, (3) to distribute books to children and encourage them to start home libraries and (4) to provide reading instruction for parents in family literacy programs.
The Quiet Storm Foundation has had a great start to 2011 programming and events by hosting a casino night to raise money for the foundation and most recently by hosting an essay contest for high school students. The essay contest is in its second year of existence and is for students enrolled at one of three high schools in both the Chicago and Las Vegas school districts. The purpose of the essay contest is to highlight black history month, and all participants were asked to select an event that has most inspired them in regards to black history and to write an essay on it. "This is just a different way that we can celebrate black history month," said CJ. The winners of the contest were selected by the local city council in both Las Vegas and Chicago, invited to meet the council and were taken to Chicago to meet CJ and attend a Chicago Bulls game at the United Center.
Sporting Generosity recently had the privilege to sit down with CJ to discuss his goals as it relates to his foundation and the community. The following are some excerpts of our conversation with a soft-spoken and modest man who is doing everything he can to help make a difference.
When asked why he chose to start the foundation and why the foundation focuses on education and literacy campaigns, CJ had the following to say. "Growing up, my parents always had me doing exra stuff like helping the homeless to get involved in the community. I always felt that if I were in a position to help others, I definitely wanted to give back. Regarding literacy, my parents always taught me the importance of staying in school and they always kept a book in my hands. I had a free education and it's always been an important part of my life.
When asked about some of his foundation's successes, CJ pointed not only to the financial scholarships they've been able to provide, but the empowering of the students involved in their activities.
"In addition to the scholarships we hand out to rising seniors who have at least a 3.0 GPA, we've created a student council committee underneath the Board of Directors of our foundation. This allows for the students to select the activities and help point the direction in which we take from an operational perspective to truly maximize the difference we are making," said CJ.
Finally, when asked what his long-term goals of the foundation were, CJ said, "Our long term goals are pretty much to help as many children as we can. We'd like to continue to do local events such as bowling tournaments and casino nights. We'd also like to eventually have a charity basketball game. The end goal is to raise and give as much money to the kids as we can."
Please join us in congratulating CJ Watson for his dedication to the community. To learn more about CJ and the Quiet Storm Foundation, please click here.
The Babac'Ards Foundation, founded by Boris Diaw of the Charlotte Bobcats, has a mission of improving the lives of Senegalese children. They are currently fundraising to open a women's training facility. Please click here for more information.
Every day, hundreds of athletes and organizations are showing a tremendous amount of generosity to their community. Here at SG, we can’t possibly know about everything taking place. Please, if you are or know of a professional athlete or organization that has used sport to make our world a better place, please click here to share your or their story.
Sporting Generosity would like to recognize CJ Watson of the Chicago Bulls for his outstanding achievements. Please Click here for more details.