Coco Gauff, impressive gesture! He donated $150,000 to a foundation that funds scholarships for black students
Coco Gauff (21, 3 WTA), double Grand Slam winner, donated $150,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an association that finances scholarships for black students in the United States. After qualifying for the third round at the US Open, the American spoke about the donation made.
On Wednesday, January 21, Coco Gauff defeated Olga Danilovic (24, 69 WTA) 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the third round of the US Open, where she will meet Hailey Baptiste (24, 70 WTA). In the second round, she beat Australian Storm Hunter (31 years old, 367 WTA) 6-2, 6-1.
Coco Gauff, total donations worth $250,000: “It was important to support this cause”
At the press conference following the duel with Danilovic, Gauff was asked about the $150,000 donation she made to UNCFwith the money to be used for scholarships for tennis players at historically black universities and colleges (HBCUs).
Last year, the 21-year-old tennis player donated $100,000, bringing her total donations to a quarter of a million dollars. Here is what Gauff said about this gesture:
“Yes, it is extremely important to me. I think if I hadn't played tennis, I would have liked to attend an HBCU. I have family members on both sides, both grandmothers went to HBCUs, an uncle and an aunt as well, and as a kid I attended classic HBCU games and other similar events.”
“For me, it was important to support this cause, especially in tennis. I feel like HBCU tennis often doesn't get the funding it needs. So I will always try to lift up marginalized communities and provide support where I can,” she added, according to tennis.com.
“I hope the money goes to the students who really need it – and it certainly will. I am happy that I was able to do this for the second year in a row“, concluded the athlete.
According to the previously mentioned website, within the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program, the world number 3 player has already awarded 10 scholarships.
“My hope is that this scholarship will give more young players of color the confidence to follow their dreams, knowing they have a strong community behind them and a bright future ahead of themGauff also said.
