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Athletes for Hope was founded in 2006 and launched publicly in 2007 by Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick
Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, and Cal Ripken,
Jr., athletes who share a deep commitment to helping others. Every Founding Athlete has established a successful charitable
foundation and has committed time, energy and resources to make the world a better place. As leaders in sports philanthropy,
the founding athletes created Athletes for Hope to inspire and help more athletes to get involved in philanthropy, to inspire
millions of others to volunteer and to support community and charitable organizations, and to enhance the positive contribution
of athletes and sports philanthropy.
The Founding Athletes are aware that many other athletes want to do more to support charitable and community causes. They
know teammates, opponents, and other athletes who want to help others but have not yet been as successful or do not know how
to get involved in philanthropic activities. The Founding Athletes want to involve many athletes to increase dramatically
what can be accomplished.
The Founding Athletes know that there is a special connection between athletes and the fans who support them and follow
their careers with interest. The Founding Athletes believe that Athletes for Hope can use that connection to create a movement
for positive change. In the same way that watching athletes compete inspires millions to get involved in sports, the Founding
Athletes believe that athletes who are working to make the world a better place can inspire millions to do the same. Starting
in 2005, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm and the leaders of their foundations began discussing the formation of an
organization to support athletes who share their intense desire to help others. After eighteen months of work, the result
was the launch of Athletes for Hope - an organization created by athletes to help all athletes, the entire sports industry,
and all sports fans do more to make the world a better place.
Established in 2006 as a public charity, exempt from federal tax as a 501(c)(3) organization, Athletes for Hope is creating
a community of athletes committed to supporting charitable and community organizations and causes. As individuals who have
been involved in sports all their lives, the Founding Athletes know that when athletes come together they can achieve so much
more than any athlete can achieve on his or her own.
The Olympic Games is perhaps the best example of athletes coming together as a community and a movement in a way that
captures the interest and attention of the entire world and accomplishes much more than any individual athlete or a single
sport or competition. The founding athletes want Athletes for Hope to utilize the bond between athletes, the bond between
athletes and their fans, and the spirit of athlete unity to increase and enhance philanthropy.
Athletes for Hope.
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