Jazz Owner Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul To Offer Scholarships
May 21, 2021, 7:03 PM
(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for Nike)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz minority owner Dwyane Wade, and future Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul are teaming with bold.org to offer two $10,000 worth of Social Change Fund United Scholarships.
The scholarships are designed to “help students of color achieve their dreams of becoming mental health professionals with $5,000 each toward their education,” according to the website.
“According to American Psychology Association, in a study conducted in 2015, 86% of therapists in the U.S. workforce were disproportionately white, with only 5% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 4% were Black/African-American. This can be disparaging for members of the Black community seeking mental health care.”
We are partnering with @carmeloanthony, @cp3 and @dwyanewade for a $10,000 Social Change Fund United Scholarship!@Socialchangefnd, an organization empowering the Black community, will award $5,000 to 2 Black students studying #mentalhealth.
Apply at https://t.co/wpVulG1aX9! pic.twitter.com/kK1YsNiIyV
— Bold.org (@BoldDotOrg) May 17, 2021
In a video for the fund, Wade explained his motivation for the scholarship.
“Social Change Fund, the foundation I co-founded along with my buddies Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony has teamed up with bolg.org to award $10,000 to support black students in their pursuit of careers in mental health,” Wade said.
“This scholarship is just one step forward in eliminating the barriers that exist to mental health care, and education in communities of color.”
Black students who are currently studying or plan to study mental health care, such as psychology, social work, or similar, are eligible to apply.
The Wade Social Change Fund isn’t the only program for scholarships the Jazz are involved with. Before the season, the organization unveiled a program that would award one student a full-ride college scholarship for each team victory throughout the year.
What’s better than granting a scholarship for every Utah Jazz win this season?
Getting to tell the recipients that their life is about to change ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7YPWho77TX
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 19, 2021
The program is the first of its kind by an NBA team to award scholarships to students based on the team’s performance throughout the season.
The Jazz have award 30 of the 55 scholarships so far this season, with more to come with each playoff victory.