Trio of former Seahawks stars launch new initiative to support local nonprofits
Mar 19, 2022, 8:38 AM | Updated: Mar 22, 2022, 8:06 am
(From L-R) Doug Baldwin, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril (Courtesy photo)
(Courtesy photo)
A trio of former Seattle Seahawks stars announced a new initiative this week, designed to raise funds and support for nonprofits across the region.
The brainchild of retired wide receiver Doug Baldwin and defensive linemen Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, Champions for Change will operate as “a philanthropic endeavor to fund grassroots organizations.” This summer, that will take the form of a series of fundraising events between June 24-26, which will include a celebrity basketball game at Climate Pledge Arena featuring current and former players from the Mariners, Sonics, Storm, Sounders, Reign, Huskies, and Cougars, among others.
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“Our goal is to take what we learned during our championship chapter to build a new team, and once again bring the city and region together, but this time to support the organizations that make our families and communities stronger,” Baldwin said in a press release.
To start, Champions for Change will be partnering with the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Divine Alternatives for Dads Services, Women United Seattle, Humble Design Seattle, and Dignity for Divas. That will see funding and support go toward a variety of causes, including pediatric care, community resources for fathers and mothers, and services for unhoused women. The larger overarching hope is to support organizations that help “families heal from trauma, and take their own steps toward providing a stable, health and loving home for their children.”
This isn’t the first time Baldwin has gotten involved with philanthropy since retiring from the NFL. In 2019, he helped lead efforts for the Family First Community Center project in Renton, donating $1 million while collaborating with the city to raise $10 million more through additional private and public contributions. In 2020, Avril also committed a combined $50,000 between his personal funds and the Cliff Avril Family Foundation for COVID-19 relief for local groups.
For more information on Champions of Change — as well as updates on its planned events in June — you can check out its website at this link.
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