Russell Wilson and Ciara have recently revealed that their school, the Why Not You Academy, is complete and will open this September in Washington.
Last October, the power couple and Wilson’s nonprofit foundation, Why Not You Foundation, unveiled their philanthropic endeavor. Wilson has visited children with cancer every Tuesday since his rookie year in Seattle in 2012, and he founded the Why Not You Foundation in 2014 to empower youngsters via educational opportunities and food sharing programs.
Wilson and Ciara shared photos of the school, as well as a couple of the youngsters who will be attending, on Instagram.
“WHY NOT YOU ACADEMY is here!” says the narrator. The first day we met, we imagined and talked of starting a school together! It’s a blessing to be able to say it’s finally here. It’s such a gift to be able to assist children realize their aspirations. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback tweeted, “@ciara @wnyacademy #WhyNotYou.”
The Why Not You Academy is a new high school partnership between the Why Not You Foundation and authorized charter public school leaders Garth Reeves and Scott Canfield. The tuition-free charter public school will operate in strict compliance with Washington state charter school law.
“We’ve always believed that a decent education is the foundation for life’s success, but we know that access isn’t necessarily equal for everyone. The Why Not You Foundation was founded on the idea of empowering youth to lead with a why not attitude, which is why Ciara and Russell wrote on the school’s website, “It was important for our foundation to partner with Scott, Garth, and Cascade Public Schools to help open doors for kids from less fortunate backgrounds.”
“This school is a longtime dream of ours and it was important for us to find a way to combine traditional classroom learning with community and mentorship-based activities, in order to prepare kids for the real world. Why Not You is based on the idea that it can start with one and our hope is that this school will be the first of many,” the couple added.
