Angel Reese turned a $12,000 donation into a chance for young girls to chase their basketball dream(Getty Images)
Angel Reese knows how much one opportunity can change a young athlete’s future. Before winning an NCAA championship with LSU, she attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore with help from a fund that covered her tuition.
In Aug. 2023, Reese donated $12,000 to that same fund through her Angel C. Reese Foundation. She wanted another girl to receive the kind of support that helped her pursue basketball and education.Reese also wanted to help children in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she spent two seasons playing college basketball. Her foundation’s early work focused on sports, education and financial literacy, with a particular emphasis on giving young girls more opportunities.
Angel Reese gives $12,000 to the fund that helped her attend high school
Reese launched the Angel C. Reese Foundation on August 19, 2023, at Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. She donated $12,000 to the Joan & Bert Hash Fund for girls’ basketball. The fund had paid her tuition when she attended the school, and her contribution aimed to help another girl access a similar opportunity.In a November 3, 2023, interview with InRegister, Reese explained the foundation’s mission. “We are dedicated to empowering young women and the next generation through sports, education and financial literacy,” she said.
She added, “I want girls everywhere to know they’re in charge of their own athletic journey and that they can do anything.”Her mother, Angel Reese, serves as the foundation’s president and oversees its daily operations. She said that starting the foundation would allow the family to direct its charitable giving and decide how to support others.“Angel has always wanted to give back, and we thought what better way to do that than by starting a foundation, so we could directly control the charitable giving and facilitate how we would help others,” her mother said.The foundation set out to promote equal opportunities for girls in sports and encourage more people to support programmes that help young athletes.
How Angel Reese supported students in Baton Rouge
Reese also extended her charitable work to Louisiana. On September 24, 2023, her foundation partnered with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and East Baton Rouge Parish Schools for a back-to-school block party at McKinley Elementary School.The event distributed backpacks filled with school supplies and gave students an opportunity to meet Reese.
It also allowed her to reconnect with a community that had supported her during her time at LSU.In the same report, Reese spoke about her plans to keep supporting local children. “I hope to always bring a positive impact to the community,” she said.
She added, “I want to be an inspiration for young girls and the next generation that they can do this too. There’s no limit to what you can do.”Her mother also praised the welcome Reese received in Baton Rouge, saying the community had helped her feel at home while she was away from her family.The two events showed how Reese planned to use her platform to support children beyond the basketball court. Her $12,000 donation had a direct connection to her own education, while the Baton Rouge event helped local students prepare for the school year.Through the Angel C. Reese Foundation, she set out to help more young girls find opportunities in sports and education, just as financial support had helped her during her own journey.