wnba Archives - Athletes for Hope

AFH CHAMPS Join Under Armour X Kelsey Plum Foundation for Launch

AFH CHAMPS Join Under Armour X Kelsey Plum Foundation for Launch

Athletes for Hope (AFH) CHAMPS program in Los Angeles partnered with Under Armour and the Kelsey Plum Foundation at the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) community center, with WNBA star Kelsey Plum helping to inspire the next generation of student-athletes. Together, we delivered an experience that combined mental health tools, physical activity, and real-life inspiration for local middle schoolers.

CHAMPS in Action

The CHAMPS program rooted in values like Courage, Honesty, Accountability, Mindfulness, Positivity, and Strength is designed to empower kids with both mental and physical health skills. At this event, AFH’s Dr. Mena Mirhom, Chief Wellbeing Officer, kicked things off with an age-appropriate conversation focused on CHAMPS pillars. The discussion helped middle schoolers build practical strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and self-esteem while reinforcing the importance of character on and off the court.

Following Dr. Mirhom’s talk, Kelsey Plum joined in for a brief, candid conversation about her own mental health journey. By sharing her perspective as a professional athlete, Plum made the topic approachable and relatable for the young athletes in the room, reinforcing that caring for your mind is just as important as training your body.

As with every CHAMPS session, AFH integrated a physical activity to tie lessons back to sport. With the energy high, Plum led the students through a fun, basketball-inspired exercise, showing how teamwork, movement, and mindfulness can all work together to support overall wellbeing.

Building a Stronger Future Together

Thanks to the support of the KPF and Under Armour, this CHAMPS event was more than a clinic—it was a powerful example of what happens when athletes, brands, and communities come together.

AFH is proud to bring CHAMPS into spaces like this, where athletes and partners can make a lasting impact on the lives of youth by building stronger, healthier, and more resilient young athletes on and off the court.

WNA Draft 2021: Looking Back at the Incredible Work off the Court

It’s WNBA Draft Day! We’re getting ready by taking a look back at all of the incredible work today’s (and yesterday’s) players have done not only on the court, but off of it. We can’t wait to see the next generation of top tier basketball players start their professional careers tonight – and we especially can’t wait to see how they’ll follow in the footsteps of the incredible women before them.

Click the images below to go to the full articles.

Successful WNBA Workshop for the San Antonio Stars

The AFH team huddled in San Antonio this Thursday with the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars for a 1.0 workshop. 11 professional basketball players were in attendance including Stars General Manager, legendary WNBA athlete Ruth Riley, and AFH CEO Ivan Blumberg.

“Ivan masterfully led a workshop with our team by facilitating a dialogue that helped them understand the opportunity for impact they have as professional athletes.  We are grateful for the services Athletes for Hope provide, not only to collaborate with the incredible work our Stars community relations department is doing in San Antonio, but to also compliment that for our athletes who want to utilize their platform back home or with issues around the world,“ said Ruth Riley.

wnba ruth ivan
The players spoke about the importance of giving back, and the opportunities that they see to help others both in San Antonio and back home in the off season.  After the workshop, the team visited Children’s Hospital of San Antonio (CHOFSA) for a meet and greet with patients.

This impressive group of young women inspired us with their dedication and passion to serve others. We look forward to working with the Stars even more and connecting them with causes they care about.