Make-A-Wish

I normally write about a specific athlete, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation stands out to me for their considerable efforts to give life-changing experiences to children who deserve it most. Their website claims that they grant a wish every 37 minutes. The wishes of children and teens with life-threatening illnesses are granted by a variety of people like Disney Characters, celebrities, superheroes, and many athletes. These wishes being fulfilled can be an inspiration for these kids to keep fighting.

The athletes that are chosen to grant wishes are picked directly by the kids, and these athletes are looked up to as heroes. When these kids watch their favorite team or athlete play, they may momentarily forget about any pain that they are in. Being able to meet someone that they admire and watch every day is what brings an unmeasurable amount of joy to these children. The Make-A-Wish Foundation makes it easier for kids to meet and have a memorable experience with their favorite athlete. If a child decides to write a letter to LeBron James asking to meet him, chances are it won't happen even if the child is deserving. Athletes respect Make-A-Wish, so if there is a request from them to grant the wish of a child, many athletes will do it. LeBron has granted many wishes, and above is the granted wish of a teen who survived cancer.

ESPN often shows the Make-A-Wish stories and that is where I first started watching them. There is not a single story that I have watched that I did not enjoy. The wishes are granted to meet the specific desires of the children involved, and they often get to meet many more athletes in the process to make their experience that much better. So many big-name professionals have been a part of Make-A-Wish, sometimes more than once. Notable people involved include Michael Jordan, Kurt Warner, Tony Hawk, Ken Griffey Jr., and Larry Fitzgerald. It is easy to see the impact that these athletes can have by spending a day of their life to treat a deserving child to a day they will never forget.

Patrice Bergeron

While researching to find the most charitable athletes around the world today, I didn't find much information about hockey players. I am guessing that hockey players don't show up on many lists of "most charitable athletes" because they do not get paid as well as other professional sports. Many of the articles and stories that I research are based on how much money someone gives to certain causes. The average salary of NHL players is almost half of the average in the NBA and MLB. It is hard to compare the salary of NFL players to these other sports because the roster size is significantly different. The point that I am trying to make is that there are many NHL players that positively impact their community, even if they don't get the same recognition for it.

Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins is a prime example of an athlete that cares about his community and gives back. He has his own program called Patrice's Pals that gives life-changing experiences to many children. He invites kids from various hospitals or children organizations to see a Bruins home game in VIP fashion. The children get their own luxury suite, Bruins memorabilia, personalized video recognition on the scoreboard, and the experience of meeting and getting to know Bergeron. This type of activity is something that more athletes should take part in because it gives a special experience to children who deserve it most.

Bergeron has won two awards given by the NHL for community and charity work. In the 2012 season he got the King Clancy Memorial Trophy which is given to a player that is a leader on and off the ice by making significant contributions to their community. The next season, Bergeron won another award called the NHL Foundation Player Award which is given for similar reasons as the King Clancy trophy. It is hard to win a single community award in a league with so many people, yet Bergeron got one two years straight.

The following is a quote from Bergeron on the Bruin's website shows his attitude towards his program, "I've established great relationships with some of the kids throughout the years and to see the difference it makes to some of the kids and their smiles on their faces after the game, it's definitely worth it every time I see that." He has the right attitude towards helping his community and is recognized  by the NHL as being one of the most generous players in the league. He uses his power as an athlete and role model to positively impact the lives of many kids and their families.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is one of the most well-known female athletes in the world. She is currently ranked number one in the world in women's tennis, and is referred to by experts as the best female tennis player ever. On top of her many Grand Slam titles and numerous Olympic Gold Medals, Williams receives praise for her charity work off the court.

Williams supports over 10 charities regularly for about 20 different causes. The Serena Williams Foundation has given support to these causes for many years now. The five organizations that are highlighted on William's website are as follows: UNICEF, Beyond the Burrows National Scholarship Fund, The Caliber Foundation, Build Africa Schools, and The Equal Justice Initiative. These organizations focus on cause like healthcare, poverty, education, disadvantaged youths, human rights, and family support. She has been a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF as of 2011. She plays a major role in helping to give children around the world the education they need to have a chance to succeed in life.

Serena Williams has been given multiple rewards for her charity and community work. She was given the Celebrity Role Model Award from the Avon Foundation for her work fighting against breast cancer. She has also received the Young Heroes Reward for her support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. She showed how genuinely she cares about helping people when she decided to stop training for the Australia Open in 2010 to form a charity event for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

The fact that Williams supports 20 different causes makes her one of the most admirable athletes in the world. She says on her own website that she is honored to use her power globally to assist others monetarily or by lending a voice. She knows how to step aside from being the best tennis player in the world to change a life of someone in need. I am interested to see the impact she will make when she is done playing tennis and has more time to focus on different charities.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul is an NBA player for the Los Angeles Clippers, and is also well known for his commercials with State Farm. He is one of the top point guards in the league, and just like Damian Lillard, he is great at assisting more than just his teammates. Paul has his own charity called the Chris Paul Family Foundation, which partners with different organizations such as Make-A-Wish, Salvation Army B&G Clubs, LA’s Best Afterschool programs, Leapz & Bounds, and many others. Paul's organization helps out communities nationally and globally. Below is an example of Chris Paul's work with Make-A-Wish.

In 2014, Chris Paul was named an ambassador for Laureus Sport For Good, which is a leading non-profit organization which uses the power of athletes to assist with social and community problems. The Laureus organization helps to give support to communities to promote education, physical activity, and access to quality coaches. Paul knows the importance of growing up with support of his family and school, which allowed him to be as successful as he is now. He wants to make sure that as many children as possible have the access to opportunities like after-school programs in order to shape their growth.


Chris Paul is also a contributor to other charities such as After-School All-Stars and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The focus of these two charities, like some of the others that Paul supports, is to help out with youth in communities. He also donates to charities involved with disaster relief, such as Make It Right and Aid Still Required. Paul was a member of the New Orleans Hornets when Hurricane Katrina hit, so he saw first-hand how devastating it was. He cares not only about the places he lives, but many other communities that are in need of support.

Paul is the type of person who feels the need to make an impact. There are many athletes who do nothing with their money or power to make the world a better place. He finds causes that he is passionate about and does what he can to improve the situations of others. According to a Whittier Daily News report, Paul believes that getting to the NBA was a blessing because it granted him the opportunity to give back to others, and he has done just that.