Last year, the Steelers‘ star QB Russell Wilson was embroiled in a controversy over the finances of his Why Not You Foundation. It was alleged that the charity, founded in 2014, was not making the most of its resources, spending nearly twice as much on employee salaries as it did on charitable causes. Wilson seemingly responded to those allegations and has continued to help those in need.

Wilson has been giving back to the community for quite a while. Last year, through his foundation he helped donate $1 million to 10 pre-selected nonprofits last year. In the past, he has also donated $1,060,005 to the Strong Against Cancer initiative of Seattle Children’s Hospital. Now, he and his wife Ciara have an exciting project for the youth of Pittsburgh.

Combining philanthropy with creativity. Russell announced the opening of the first-ever ‘Why Not You Center‘ at Pittsburgh’s Boys & Girls Club. On X, Wilson shared his excitement with a video captioned, “We launched our 1st ever ‘WHY NOT YOU Center’ today at the Boys & Girls Club in Pittsburgh! A dream come true!” In the video, Wilson and Ciara can be seen holding a giant scissor to cut the ribbon with several children joining them.

The center is a reflection of Wilson’s deep personal connection to his father’s legacy.

The “Why Not You” mantra, which his late father instilled in him, continues to shape Russell’s life and work. His father, Harrison Wilson, was a big dreamer. And Russell carries that spirit forward by asking, Why not you? to inspire others. The center manifests the core mission of Wilson’s foundation, which focuses on empowering the youth, through education, health initiatives, and leadership development. The mantra “Why Not You” shaped Wilson’s life, right from becoming a Super Bowl champion to inspiring young minds today. And he wants others to be inspired in the very same way.

In 2022, after Wilson was traded to the Broncos, the foundation partnered with Amazon Fresh and Safeway, along with multiple children’s hospitals and healthcare organizations in Colorado and Washington, This was done to raise money to support education and health initiatives in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.

However, in February 2023, a report by USA Today alleged that Wilson’s foundation was using less than a quarter of its income for its projects to help kids.

According to their investigation, in 2020 and 2021, the foundation reported spending a combined $600,000 on charitable causes. However, this was far less than the $1.1 million that the foundation spent on employee salary and benefits.

Scott Pickett, the foundation’s chief financial officer, revealed they work with third parties and that the results of those partnerships aren’t reflected in tax returns. “Millions of dollars in funds raised by the Why Not You Foundation go through our partners who can deliver that money where it is needed more directly,” Pickett said. “Those funds were raised, in large part, through the work of the foundation, but you would not see all of those dollars in the foundation’s tax documents.”

Later, Wilson took to X to respond to the report in a video captioned, “We will always care more about impact than credit.” Wilson began the video by saying, “This means the world to me, has meant the world to me and will forever mean the world to me,” before adding, “I just gotta say something. For our Why Not You foundation over the past eight years we’ve been so freaking blessed to meet so many amazing people, so many amazing kids along the way and to be able to also partner with some amazing brands.”

For Wilson, this center in Pittsburgh is a dream realized, and it’s just the beginning of his vision for uplifting underserved communities. While Russell is focused on building the center, Ciara is taking a creative approach to giving back.

Ciara’s creative touch: Music, fans, and community

Ciara connects with the community through music. On December 10, she invited fans to feature in her new music video, blending art with outreach. She has teamed up with Colossal Impact for an exciting competition that brings fans closer to her music. This invitation isn’t just about the spotlight. But building a bridge between creativity and charity.

Ciara’s move echoes the foundation’s goals, proving that engagement can be impactful and fun. Ciara is looking for 8 talented dancers. Why? Well! To compete for a chance to feature in her next music video. Yes! You heard that right. A feature in a Grammy Award-winning video would be something many would surely die for. But that’s not all.