Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets point guard, will donate his entire earnings from the match-up against the Boston Celtics this week in support of girls education in partnership with a Christian nonprofit.
“I believe it’s important to raise awareness about social justice issues that have been swept under the rug,” Lin said, according to a press release from One Day’s Wages, the nonprofit teaming up with the Christian athlete to empower girls.
“The goal of this partnership between ODW and Jeremy Lin is not just Lin’s generous donation on March 17th, but also to raise awareness about the issues girls face in pursuing their education, and inspire everyday people to make a simple act of generosity,” One Day’s Wages founder Eugene Cho added in the press release.
When the Nets and Celtics face off on Friday, Lin will fulfill his pledge of donating at least $140,000, plus $100 for every 3-point basket he makes during the 2016-2017 season.
Like-minded donors were encouraged to join Lin in his campaign by giving through his One Day’s Wages page. A total of $150,228.06 of the $200,000.00 goal was reached at the publishing of this report.
Lin, 28, signed a reported three-year contract with the Nets for at least $36 million last year. So far this season, the point guard seems to be performing well, despite his team’s spotty record.
The athlete, who previously played with the Houston Rockets, has been very public about his philanthropic efforts since gaining prominence with the New York Knicks in 2011. Lin specifically reaches out to young people via his Jeremy Lin Foundation, although he donated $1 million to his alma mater Harvard toward undergraduate scholarships last year.
One Day’s Wages, working to alleviate global poverty, reports that “32 million girls of lower secondary school age are not enrolled in school.” One Day’s Wages believes education and vocational training are key to helping girls worldwide escape crippling poverty.
One Day’s Wages also focuses on positively impacting women’s health, clean water and sanitation, and human trafficking. The grassroots organization started in 2009 out of Cho and his family’s personal efforts to impact global poverty by donating a year’s income of $68,000. Since then, One Day’s Wages has attracted more than 19,000 members, donated $5.2 million and impacted over half a million lives.
Watch Lin and Cho talk about their partnership in this video.
In this video, Lin shares his perspective on being back in New York, but playing for Brooklyn, and how his relationship with God orients how he plays the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM3iv4-pHCM
