Add to Stephen Curry’s portfolio of do-goodery: Helping furnish safe drinking water for children half a world away from Oracle Arena.
Hey, what else would you expect from a splash brother?
Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, is renowned for his charitable, relatable, philanthropic inclinations. A sense of his social conscience and a sampling of his acts of kindness, big and small, can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
His latest effort involves collaborating with Underdogs United, a start-up that raises funds to secure safe drinking water for children. Curry and other high-profile athletes make it happen by signing jerseys that will be auctioned off in the coming months at gounderdogs.org with the proceeds funding clean water solutions for Kenyan children. Underdogs United is partnering with Impact Water, a Kenya-based social enterprise that has installed new water systems for more than 1,800 students in two schools in rural Kenya.
Curry isn’t the only high-profile athlete participating. Others include Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics; U.S. women’s national soccer team captains Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe; FC-Bayern Munich soccer stars Rafinha and Gina Lewandowski; NHL all-star Cam Atkinson; the Denver Broncos’ Bradley Chubb; and U.S. Olympic snowboarder Arielle Gold.
The athletes get more than the satisfaction of a good deed done well. They are gifted custom-made jerseys crafted by Kenyan tailors.
“I’ve been a tailor for many years, though I’ve never stitched a basketball jersey before,” said Vindah Kanana, who sewed a personalized jersey to thank Curry for his donation. “The children, they know Stephen Curry and they love him. On behalf of our community, I would like to say thank you to Curry and the other athletes for helping our schools with their water supply.”
The need is real. The United Nations Development Program reports that more than 440 million school days are lost each year because of water-related illnesses.
To date, Underdogs United has funded water purification systems benefitting 10,000 children, according to founder Stephen Gabauer. Through the jersey exchange and apparel sales, Gabauer hopes to serve 50,000 more children by the end of the year.
By the way, you don’t have to be a world-class athlete to score the unique apparel designed by Kenyan artists. Apparel based on the designs produced for the participating athletes can be found here.
“The initiative is designed as a win-win for everyone involved,” Gabauer said. “Fans can bid on signed jerseys from their favorite athletes and support our clean water initiatives. The local Kenyan tailors are hired at above-market wages, and the athletes receive a custom jersey, personalized to them. Most importantly, this initiative will leave a lasting impact on the health of over 10,000 children.”