Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson is working hard to prepare for his first season in Pittsburgh. It’s a big task to learn a whole new system, establish chemistry with players he’s never shared a huddle with, and fend off QB Justin Fields. He’s also trying to shake off the fiasco with the Denver Broncos, making him one of Pro Football Focus’ players with the most to prove in 2024. Yet he is also making time to make an impact off the field.
One of the ways Wilson is making an impact in the larger Pittsburgh community is by partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pa. As the Club prepares to kick off summer camps, Wilson is going to make the day of some of the campers.
“Steelers QB Russell Wilson is about to kick off the Boys & Girls Club of Western PA summer camps by surprising the kids here at Dick’s House of Sport in Ross,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko posted on X/Twitter on Monday morning. “He’s also making a $50,000 donation through his Why Not You Foundation started in 2014.”
Steelers QB Russell Wilson is about to kick off the Boys & Girls Club of Western PA summer camps by surprising the kids here at Dick’s House of Sport in Ross. He’s also making a $50,000 donation through his Why Not You Foundation started in 2014.
PGH’s Summer of Russ continues. pic.twitter.com/7NNL1TKiRH
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) June 10, 2024
“I think the Boys & Girls Club around the country is [doing] an amazing job of just the dedication to kids and just making their lives better,” Wilson said in an interview with KDKA while at the kickoff event.
No doubt there will be plenty of kids at Dick’s House of Sport that will be excited to meet the Steelers quarterback. Sometimes an encounter with a celebrity in a positive way can have a big impact on someone’s future.
But it’s the work of Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation and the monetary donation to the Club that could have a wide-ranging impact on the greater Pittsburgh area.
“I get to play the best position in the world in one of the best organizations in the world,” Wilson said. “Come on, it doesn’t get any better. So it’s important to really give back, to share my dreams and the things I’ve accomplished because of others.”
According to the foundation’s website, it’s “dedicated to education, children’s health and fighting poverty, empowering today’s youth to lead with a why not you attitude. Our mission is to empower change in the world, one individual at a time, and one child at a time.”
That meshes well with the Boys & Girls Club’s aim of helping area youth succeed both in school and in life. It’s a logical partnership for what Wilson’s foundation is doing.
And then Wilson meeting with the kids in a sports-focused environment? Makes even more sense.
