Russell Wilson and Ciara are definitely in the giving spirit this holiday season, with the couple donating millions of dollars to the Mount Sinai Karvis Children’s Hospital to close out a year of charitable efforts through the football player’s Why Not You Foundation.
As announced Friday (Dec. 26) through a Good Morning America segment, Wilson and the singer have contributed $3 million to the medical center’s pediatric programs. The money will go toward improving the hospital’s common area — where patients are free to engage in therapeutic and creative activities as a respite from doctors and treatments — as well as the children’s holiday shop.
The donation comes as Wilson has been visiting the children’s hospital every Tuesday on his days off from practice and games with the New York Giants. “I started going to children’s hospitals, because my dad was unfortunately always in the hospital — he had diabetes — and my mom was an ER nurse,” he said in an interview with GMA.
“For me, I thought, like, ‘How can I make a difference somewhere?’” the athlete continued. “Every time I walk in a room, I’m praying for a miracle, something great to happen. And I’ve seen those miracles happen time and time again.”
The $3 million comes by way of Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation, which he founded in 2014. “My dad used to always say, ‘Son, why not you?’ It kind of became the mantra of my life,” he recalled, adding that he and Ciara decided to name the organization in honor of the phrase as “our parents both instilled that ‘Why not you?’ attitude in us.”
Six weeks prior to the Mount Sinai news, Wilson wrote on Instagram that the Why Not You Foundation had raised more than $21 million to go toward its programs championing education, children’s health and the fight against poverty. Some of the money also went to The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Ciara, who works closely with her husband’s Why Not You Foundation, also recently attended an event at St. Peter’s Church in Atlanta to pledge $2 million to programs combating food insecurity.
As for what he hopes to see his donation accomplish, Wilson told GMA, “I want [the kids] to be inspired, and I want them to take their mind a little bit off of the pain they’re going through.”
“It’s probably been the greatest thing I’ve been able to do in my career so far,” he added of helping young hospital patients. “It’s better than any touchdown or any trophy.”
Learn more about Wilson and Ciara’s donation to Mount Sinai Karvis below.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
