KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Former members of the Lady Vols basketball team have joined together to create a first-of-its-kind nonprofit organization called the Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation.
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation was started by more than a dozen former University of Tennessee women’s basketball players (most of them from National Championship teams) to promote and teach excellence, cultural diversity, empowerment and leadership to school-age children, businesses and other organizations across the country.
The Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation will officially launch with a press conference and tailgating event at the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park in Knoxville on Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 11 a.m. before the Lady Vols’ first home game of the season. This is the first of many events the foundation has planned in 2018 and 2019.
Dawn Marsh, former Lady Vols standout and point guard on the 1986-87 national championship team, is the President of Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation. Marsh said, "Right now – with everything going on socially and politically – the world needs what the Lady Vols can offer. There has never been another group of women more committed to excellence as a way of life than the Lady Vols.”
The Lady Vols basketball program is legendary, and the team’s reputation extends well beyond the State of Tennessee and the sport of women’s basketball. On the court, players have racked up 17 SEC regular season championships, 17 SEC tournament championships, made 18 Final Four appearances and won eight (8) national titles. Off the court, the program boasts a 100-percent graduation rate since the mid-1970s for players who finished out their NCAA eligibility at the University of Tennessee.
Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation is governed by a diverse group of business leaders, educators, coaches, referees and community leaders – all former players – who view the new foundation as a labor of love. Bridgette Gordon is the group’s Vice President, Lisa Webb Kimbrough serves as Secretary, Shelia Collins is the foundation’s Treasurer, Patricia Roberts and Lisa Reagan are Board Members.
Cheryl Littlejohn, the Founder and Executive Director said, “Our message of excellence as a way of life is grounded in the five tenets of the Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation: education, leadership, empowerment, health & wellness, and global community. These are the five pillars of our foundation – and we are taking our message to children, businesses and organizations across the country.”
The Lady Vols Legacy & Legends Foundation is accepting corporate sponsors. The 501(c)3 nonprofit will also accept individual donations from supporters and fans. Donations to the foundation provide funding for the group’s programs in public schools, communities, and more. For more information, visit www.LadyVolsFoundation.org.
