UCONN FEC: Seasons Giving, Donovan Mitchell, Equal Access

by Melvin Andre

In relation to the holidays, people like to get a little festive and giving during these times. Whether that’s giving Christmas caroling, decorating the house with lights, searching for gifts, or partaking in Secret Santa. Tis the season right guys?

One person who really showed out during the festive season in terms of holiday giving was Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell, an NBA All-Star in his 4th year currently playing for the Utah Jazz recently donated 12 million to his Alma Mater for lower-income students. I know right, 12 million dollars is a lot of money, and especially going toward one of the most affluent areas in the state in Greenwich doesn't make much sense. Diving a little deeper, we still have institutions with legacies that keep the same pipeline of students a year in and year out. Usually, that pipeline is catered toward white families and decades of accumulating generational wealth. Mitchell wants to break open those doors and increase the number of opportunities that Greenwich Country Day provides for lower-income students. Students that don’t come from the most financially rich backgrounds with legacies tied behind their names. Mitchell claims “ we want to take kids from less-fortunate areas who may not have the means to go to private school, he says. “We take pride in that.” The fund will be named the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund to help the school’s goals toward lower-income students and help need-based scholarships for K-12. The power of equity and access can provide a lot to a community especially one whose progress has been halted numerous times in history. As Donovan Mitchell continues to inspire and champion social justice and equal opportunity, I write this to encourage everyone to do the same in whatever future endeavors they enter.

Sources:

https://afrotech.com/nba-all-star-donovan-mitchell-donates-12m-to-his-alma-mater-for-low-income-students

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/03/22/donovan-mitchell-heard/