Volkswagen is committing to growing the sport of soccer on and off the field. The company has partnered with 10 of the sport’s top U.S. players to support charities as part of the company’s “Drive Bigger” campaign.
All the partners are members of the U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Soccer Teams and join Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe as brand ambassadors for the sport as part of Team Volkswagen.
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“Volkswagen welcomes our teammates from the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, and we’re thrilled to donate to organizations that our athletes are passionate about,” said Duncan Movassaghi, executive vice president, sales and marketing at Volkswagen of America. “Building the game at the grassroots level while giving back to our communities is the essence of what we mean by Drive Bigger.”
The players and the charity they have chosen for Volkswagen to support include:
Tyler Adams (MNT), Crystal Dunn (WNT): America SCORES, which uses soccer as an outlet to inspire urban youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and build confidence for a better future.
Abby Dahlkemper (WNT): Grassroot Soccer, which leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth to overcome their greatest health challenges, and be agents for change in their communities.
Ali Krieger (WNT): Women and Girls in Soccer (WAGS), which has a mission of empowering women and girls from all over the world through soccer to realize their full potential, supports six unique programs that promote confidence, strength, character and leadership in a variety of ways.
Carli Lloyd (WNT): The Women’s Sports Foundation, whose goal is to ensure that every girl and woman has the opportunity to unlock her potential through the benefit of sports and physical activity. It supports girls’ and women’s soccer dreams via community programs and travel and training funding and advocacy for gender equity at the professional level.
Samantha Mewis (WNT): Hidden Gems, which connects girls who play soccer in low-income areas of the U.S. with professional athletes. The goal is to use the power of teamwork and soccer as an equalizer to increase young girls’ perceptions of their ability on and off the field.
Weston McKennie (MNT): The Steve Nash Foundation (SNF), which works to increase access to critical needs, health, and education resources for underserved children. McKennie made his first splash with SNF when he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Steve Nash Foundation Showdown charity soccer match in 2018—the youngest in the event’s 12-year history. Showdown and the annual SNF Charity Shield soccer tournament both raise funds for SNF’s community programs and services for kids.
Jordan Morris (MNT):
The Jordan Morris Foundation, whose goal is to educate, inspire, and support the lives of children with Type 1 diabetes. Soccer is used as the main vessel to achieve these goals.
Kelley O’Hara (WNT): The Kelley O’Hara Scholarship Fund, created by Kelley’s youth club, AFC Lightning in Peachtree City, GA, in honor of winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The scholarship fund aims to support two female players at the club to ease the financial constraints of playing at the collegiate level.
Gyasi Zardes (MNT): The Columbus Crew SC Foundation, which focuses on changing young lives in the Columbus, OH area through their many programs focused in soccer.
