Ciara & Russell Wilson ‘Dream Big’ With New Library & Scholarship Program
by Karen
Russell Wilson was notorius during the Seahawk’s run to its 2014 Super Bowl title in 2014 asking, “Why not us?” as the team beat the odds and made Seattle history. Alongside Ciara his wife and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, the pair asked high school teens Friday, “Why not you?”
The catchphrase is now the name of the couple’s foundation, and at the Tukwila, Washington, branch of the King County Library System, students from nearby Foster High School heard a message of education, setting goals and achieving dreams.
Wilson and Ciara also unveiled one-of-a-kind library cards featuring their likenesses, designed by Seattle-area artist Keegan Hall.
The Why Not You Foundation announced, in partnership with KCLS, KCLS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, a new teen empowerment campaign called Dream Big: Anything is Possible. It encourages students to utilize programs and resources through community libraries and immerse themselves in STEAM education, homework help, mentoring, coding classes, ESL support SAT prep and more.
“Very successful people don’t just ask the question, but they also figure out the answer to the question,” Wilson said, repeating the mantra “Why not you?” that he heard from his father growing up. And he added that “dreaming big” is visualizing where you actually want to go in life.
In conjunctino, the couple announced a $100,000 Why Not You College Scholarship, with a search and plans to announce eight new Why Not You Scholars this spring. Details are on the Dream Big website.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you have, the power of that dream is truly within you,” Ciara told the students, adding that she set goals as a teen to be discovered, sell millions of records and have staying power in the entertainment business. Fifteen years later, she has her sights set on a new record and more Grammy awards.
The couple have an array of business interests and investments in tech companies. Their latest push is around Tally, a sports prediction app that evolved from his TraceMe app, a celebrity content app originally launched by Wilson in 2017. Ciara announced this week, her new creative endeavor Beauty Marks Entertainment. The company positions music “at the intersection of Ciara’s other passions: film, fashion, technology and philanthropy” the website says.
Photos: GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser