Football star Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara, the Grammy-winning performer, through their “Why Not You Foundation” are contributing about $1.75 million to rebrand an existing charter program known as Cascade Midway Academy, in their honor the school name will be changed to “Why Not You Academy” and is expected to open in fall 2021.
Among the youth-focused programs Wilson and Ciara have supported are the Seattle-based Rainier Scholars program that helps low-income students of color prepare for college and the Rwanda Girls Initiative, which runs a science and technology-focused boarding school for girls in Africa.
Wilson also does a weekly visit to Seattle Children’s hospital to bring inspiration, excitement, hope and laughter to patients and their families.