Stephen and Ayesha Curry Launch Initiative to Support His Alma Mater Davidson College's Female Athletes
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Steve Jennings/Getty Stephen and Ayesha Curry
Stephen Curry is helping women's sports make strides toward equity.
On Thursday, the 33-year-old NBA player announced that he and his wife, Ayesha Curry, are establishing the Curry Family Women's Athletics Initiative at his alma mater, Davidson College, in North Carolina. The Golden State Warriors star said the initiative will be "aimed at helping close the inequity gap in women's sports," as the couple donates to the school and encourages others to do the same.
"Davidson College is where it all started for me, and it no doubt prepared me for leadership and service. I'm forever grateful for the unwavering support from the entire Davidson community," the father of three said in a video on social media.
"The reason I am who I am today is also because of strong, powerful women that have poured into my life all these years," he continued, noting the initiative "hits home" because of his daughters, Riley, 9, and 6-year-old Ryan. Stephen and Ayesha are also parents to 3-year-old son Canon.
"Now as the father of two girls, I want them to grow up without any boundaries on their futures," the athlete said.
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The Davidson alum went on to discuss the impact of Title IX, established in 1972 to ensure equal opportunities to females as their male counterparts. In his video message, Curry emphasized that there's still "a long way to go " toward equity.
Stephen and Ayesha's scholarship endowment will be focused on elevating the 10 women's programs and over 200 female student-athletes at Davidson. "By granting access to additional resources and creating more opportunities for women, we hope to uplift, empower, and foster an unbiased society that leads to a better world," he concluded.
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Following the announcement, Davidson athletic director Chris Clunie released a statement praising the Curry family for their support.
"The Currys' gift and vision provide an unprecedented push forward for Davidson Athletics and our exceptional scholar-athletes," Clunie said. "This gift and additional support of the initiative will raise our competitiveness and open up our educational and athletic experiences to more young women. Beyond Davidson, the Currys are sending an important message about addressing the broad inequity in women's athletics and the importance of unlocking opportunities today and into the future. Davidson aims to lead in this space and build solutions to these issues on our own campus."
Davidson College President Carol E. Quillen added, "Stephen and his family exemplify Davidson's core values, and this gift is another extraordinary example of how their creativity, drive and convictions serve the common good."
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Quillen continued her statement, "Our scholar-athletes are incredible people, balancing high-level competition with high-level academics, and they leave Davidson prepared to make a difference in the world. This gift will go a very long way, both at Davidson and for college athletics. We are deeply grateful for the Curry family's commitment to our programs and to this critical, national conversation."
The two-time NBA MVP played basketball for Davidson from 2006 to 2009, being a key player to the team's Elite Eight appearance in the 2008 NCAA tournament — the school's longest run since 1969. The following year, he was drafted to the Warriors as the No. 7 overall pick, later winning three NBA championships with the franchise.
Curry has made it a priority to pay his success forward, previously telling PEOPLE that he does so to give his kids "a vision of what they can be themselves."
"They ask questions about where I'm at and what I'm doing and it's cool to tell them I'm trying to raise money for a very special program that is going to change lives," he said in June. "Hopefully that means something to them now and can plant the seed of how, [and] when it's their time, they can carry the torch and make an impact."
