Olympian Archives - Athletes for Hope

Olympic Athlete Spotlight

Posted: June 8, 2023 Updated: June 9, 2023 by Nick Gangewere

Shannon Boxx continues shining beyond the field

For National Soccer Hall of Famer Shannon Boxx, it is the people, not the sport itself, that have helped her down the path to becoming a national icon. The former midfielder participated in three Olympics and four World Cups for the United States, but her career highlights stem well beyond the field.

Boxx simply embraced every aspect of her life, from her multiracial heritage or numerous injuries, en route to a game that took her from the age of 4 to the age of 38. Despite receiving her first call-up at 26, Boxx ranks within the top-12 of Americans with the most career appearances and has the most USWNT appearances of any Black woman. She had a 12-year national team career, yet it was the choices outside of soccer that has stuck with Boxx the most.

As a professional athlete I always knew I had a greater responsibility than just performing on the field. As a female athlete I knew how important it was for me to be a role model.
Shannon Boxx

And a role model she was.

Boxx was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 30 during one of the best times of her playing career. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where one experiences inflammatory fatigue from one’s own immune system attacking its tissue. This made not only soccer but life, difficult for Boxx.

She had to learn how to understand her body in ways she never truly thought about before, noticing signs that could lead to sudden bursts of muscle and joint pain.

The USWNT starter was just two years removed from a FIFA Player of the Year finalist berth in 2005 when Lupus tried to derail her. However, Boxx did not let the disorder dictate her lifestyle. It eventually sparked a new goal: wanting to help others.

I was afraid to let people know about my Lupus but once I realized how important it was for me to share my story, to make Lupus visible, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
Shannon Boxx

What went from a fear of looking weak became her biggest strength.

Today, Boxx is one of the biggest advocates for spreading awareness about Lupus and points to her passion for the subject as the key reason she wants to find new ways to help.

“It wasn’t until around 2012 I realized with social media how important it was for me to use my platform to help others and to bring greater awareness to things I truly cared about,” Boxx said.

Athletes for Hope has helped Boxx in more ways than one and continues to stand alongside the former soccer star throughout her advocacy journey, becoming another name to the list of people that have had a mutual impact with Boxx along the way.

When you are passionate about something it makes it easy to create space for it. I truly enjoy helping empowering others to reach their full potential and I have loved that Athletes for Hope has helped me find avenues to be able to do that.
Shannon Boxx

So while soccer as a game has given Boxx a platform to become a notable advocate for Lupus, without her family, friends, coaches, and teammates along the way, she does not believe she would have seen the same success.

“I feel so blessed to have been able to do the things that I have done and I know everything I have accomplished is because of the support of the people around me who were willing to make time for me,” Boxx said. “I have always wanted to pay that kindness forward.”

Four Olympics and three World Cups do not define Shannon Boxx’s legacy. The mark she is leaving surpasses her success on the field as she has used her platform for good. She is helping create the change she once wished to see in the world, a change that shines a light on the disorder that she thought might bring her down.

Boxx realized that her fears were in her head, and the impact she could make was important enough for her to overcome her own doubts.

My advice is just get out there and try it even if you don’t know exactly what cause you are interested in yet. Use Athletes for Hope to help connect you and over time you will realize where your passion lies.
Shannon Boxx

Olympic Athlete Spotlight

Posted: February 10, 2023 Updated: February 11, 2023 by jbelinkie

STEM Leader, Philanthropist and Olympic Gold Medalist

Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female swimmer of all time with seven individual Olympic gold medals and 19 World Championship titles, owning 18 out of 20 of the fastest 1500m freestyle times. She has prioritized community service and giving back throughout her career, earning Athletes for Hope’s 2022 Community Hero Award for her work in communities across the United States.

What inspired you to give back to your community and use your platform for good?

It is important to me to be able to give back to my community, inspire others and be a positive force in the world. As a young swimmer growing up, I never imagined I would be in a position to make a difference. Now, I really try to embrace the opportunities that I have, whether it’s in my community or around the country and even around the world, to try to inspire young athletes or young adults to dream big, go for their goals and to find the things that they’re passionate about and be the best that they can be at those things.

It’s one thing to be recognized for my accomplishments in the pool. But it’s really special to be recognized for what I do outside of it.
Katie Ledecky

When was the first time you got involved in community service?

I got involved in community service after I went to my first Olympics at age 15. When I got back from London I had a lot more opportunities to give back. One of my first visits back in Maryland after winning my first gold medal was to Walter Reed where I met with the Wounded Warriors.

I’ve found that there’s really a power to the gold medal. It can really light up someone’s face. And so if I can make someone smile on any given day, that makes me smile, makes me happy.
Katie Ledecky

What area of service are you most passionate about?

I’m really passionate about education and I love speaking to young students about the importance of education. I work with Panasonic and Discovery Education on an equal-opportunity STEM program called STEM Forward that encourages young students to get involved in science, technology, engineering and math.

Any opportunity I have in life to inspire young kids to pursue their passions, especially in STEM education, I’m going to take it. Whether students use STEM skills for better problem-solving or critical thinking in life, or for a future career, it’s important that they have equal access to help propel them forward.
Katie Ledecky

What are some other community service initiatives you are involved in?

I am a huge advocate for teaching others how to swim and making sure that as many young kids learn how to swim as possible because the drowning rate is still way too high. I enjoy visiting children’s hospitals whether it is in-person or a virtual visit. I also support organizations like Bikes For The World and the Wounded Warrior Project as well as Shepherd’s Table.

I try to help out in my community as much as I can. I think all athletes, no matter the level that they’re at, have the opportunity to give back and to help others.
Katie Ledecky

*photos courtesy of Panasonic

Olympic Athlete Spotlight

Posted: July 15, 2022 Updated: July 15, 2022 by Hannah Bronkema

Olympian Emily Cook on the Importance of Giving Back

Emily Cook is a nine-time World Cup medalist, earning three gold, one silver, and five bronze and qualified for four Winter Olympics. She created “Visa Champions Creating Champions”, a mentoring program during which Olympians from a variety of winter sports worked with youngsters in the community and was a mentor with Classroom Champions for many years.

What inspired you to give back to your community and use your platform for good?

I was raised by my father and he led by example when I was growing up. No matter how busy he was, he always found a way to contribute to and to engage in our community. To this day, my dad spends multiple days per week at the National Ability Center in Park City working with children and adults in their equestrian program, which provides Adaptive Horseback Riding (you can see his photo with one of the participants here) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL).

What are some of the activities you’ve participated in (or led) within your community in terms of service?

While I’m currently working as an executive at Eminent Series Group, I most recently spent the bulk of my days working with Classroom Champions (CC) as their Athlete Mentor Manager. CC works with schools to provide inspiring Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum and mentorship programs to improve engagement, build growth mindsets, and inspire positive classroom culture. I loved getting the chance to work with our athlete mentors everyday to support each of them in getting the chance to consistently make a difference for children.

I loved for Classroom Champions and every athlete who has come through as a mentor has made a lasting impression on me. It is such an incredible thing to see the impact that each mentor has on the students and teachers that they work with.
Emily Cook

What was the first moment that you realized the importance of using your platform to give back?

In 2002, when I was injured prior to the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, I began to recognize that I wanted to expand my impact beyond athletics. Throughout the three years that I spent working to get back to my sport, I had the chance to connect with my community in a very rewarding way. I worked with the athletes I knew from the 2002 games and my sponsor Visa to connect them locally with young athletes in the community and what I saw from that made me simply want to do more. So, I got involved everywhere I could to help kids learn the lessons I had learned growing up in sport. It was around that time that I connected with Athletes for Hope, Right to Play, the Women’s Sports Foundation and Kids Play International and once Classroom Champions was created, I joined there as a mentor. I know that during that time I got as much out of participating with these organizations as the children we were working with.

One of my biggest goals is to get more and more athletes connected with students through [organizations like] Classroom Champions because I know first hand the difference it makes everyday both for the athlete and for the students and teachers they get to work with. To be honest, it makes a pretty big difference for me everyday as well.
Emily Cook

How did you balance being an Olympic athlete and participating in service?

While I was an athlete, I found that having service focused projects in addition to training and competing helped me to keep things in perspective and enhanced my time on the aerial hill. Having a platform as an athlete and using that for good helped me to feel like what I was doing everyday made a difference. I would say that participating in Classroom Champions as an athlete and working with Athletes for Hope while I was not on the hill made me a more successful athlete overall and I am thankful for the opportunity to provide that space for other athletes today through my job.

What is your advice to other athletes across all levels of sports who are looking to get more involved in community service and advocacy?

My advice for athletes looking to get more involved is to connect with the athletes who you know are out there making a difference in the communities that you are passionate about. Ask them questions about what they love about the organizations they work with or how they have taken the initiative to start their own ways of contributing. There are so many ways to make an impact and to me that is your sport legacy.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to learn valuable life lessons through participating in sport for so long and I love getting the chance to pass on those lessons.
Emily Cook

I will always be involved in giving back in the sports world, it is so deeply ingrained in who I am.