Ciara and Russell Wilson want their children to understand the importance of giving back.
In a new interview with Town & Country, the couple discussed their work through the Why Not You Foundation and how they teach their children to help others.
For Ciara, that starts with keeping their kids grounded.
“Our kids are way more set than we ever were at their age, so it’s like, how can you keep things in perspective for them? How can you kind of keep them humble?” she said.
Ahead of Christmas each year, the singer tells her children they must donate some of their toys or Santa Claus won’t be allowed to visit.
She recalled one moment when her son Win, 6, showed her that those conversations were making an impression.
“Mom, I want to get rid of these toys, and I want to give them to someone who needs them,” he told her without any prompting.
Beyond those lessons at home, Ciara and Wilson, who are preparing to welcome their fifth child, want to involve their children in their charitable efforts.
“We say that we want to empower youth to lead with the ‘Why not you?’ attitude, and obviously that applies directly to our kids in our house,” Ciara said.
“When they have that mentality, there’s no limit to what they can do. There’s no limit to their dreams. If they’re going to help continue this mission, they have to be a part of it.”
Helping others was something Ciara and Wilson connected over from the start of their relationship. On their first date in 2015, she told him she hoped to establish a charitable foundation. Wilson had already launched Why Not You the previous year.
“Well,” he told her, “we should do that together.”
After they married in 2016, Ciara took on a larger role in the foundation, and the two now share the title of co-founder.
Why Not You Foundation supports children’s health and education through partnerships with hospitals and organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It also contributes to food assistance programs for families.
Among its recent donations was $3 million to Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York City for therapeutic spaces for young patients and their families.
