In 2018, U.S. soccer star Julie Ertz and NFL tight end Zach Ertz raised $200,000 at their first gala; $80,000 funded scholarships for Haitian students and $50,000 backed college readiness

U.S. soccer player Julie Ertz and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz raised $200,000 at the first gala for their family foundation in July 2018. $80,000 of that amount funded college scholarships for orphaned high school graduates in Haiti, while another $50,000 supported a college-readiness programme for first-generation students in Richmond, California. The remaining proceeds supported the foundation’s wider work in youth sports, education and family services.The couple established the Ertz Family Foundation in the summer of 2018 after Zach visited Haiti with teammates and Mission of Hope, an organisation working with local communities. The trip helped shape the foundation’s focus on education and access to sports, and a November 2018 report by the Philadelphia Eagles detailed the first gala’s fundraising total and how the money was allocated.Scholarships for students in HaitiThe $80,000 contribution went to Mission of Hope Haiti to establish a scholarship programme for more than a dozen students who had graduated from high school after growing up in an orphanage, and was intended to cover college expenses, including tuition, room and board, meals and learning materials. The programme addressed a specific barrier for students who had completed secondary education but lacked the financial resources to continue. The Ertz family’s donation was earmarked for scholarships that would support students through college.The National Football League Players Association also reported the scholarship donation when Zach Ertz was named its Week 5 Community MVP in October 2018, and the union said the $80,000 gift would provide full scholarships for orphaned high school graduates in Haiti. Zach’s visit to Haiti earlier that year had included volunteering in communities where children had limited access to sports equipment and facilities, and he returned with a stronger interest in supporting projects that combined education, sports and community resources. The foundation was launched with the intention of extending that work beyond one location.A college-readiness programme in CaliforniaAnother $50,000 from the gala went to College Is Real, an organisation that was focused on helping students prepare for higher education. The donation enabled Kennedy High School in Richmond, California, to begin a college-readiness programme for first-generation students. For students whose parents had not attended college, the transition from high school to higher education could involve navigating applications, admissions requirements and financial aid without the same family experience that other applicants might have, and the programme was designed to provide support during that process.The two allocations together accounted for $130,000 of the $200,000 that was raised at the gala. The foundation also began supporting projects in Philadelphia, where the couple later directed a $10,000 donation to Kensington High School after its football equipment was stolen in a break-in.Building a foundation beyond professional sportsJulie Ertz was a member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, while Zach played tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the couple chose to establish a joint foundation rather than separate organisations, with a focus on youth sports, education and family support. Their first gala took place in Northern California, where the couple had grown up, and the fundraising result exceeded their expectations, the Eagles reported in November 2018. Later that year, they planned a second event in Philadelphia, with proceeds intended for local charities through the foundation’s City of Love Fund.The foundation also developed a fundraising initiative called Catches for the Community, under which supporters could pledge money for each reception Zach made during the NFL regular season, and the couple pledged $100 per reception themselves, according to the Eagles’ report. The early projects in Haiti, Richmond and Philadelphia reflected the foundation’s three stated areas of work. The first gala’s $200,000 total gave it an initial pool of funding to distribute across those programmes, with education accounting for the largest documented share of that first event’s proceeds.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.