Allyson Felix’s rollout of impactful initiatives is at full speed.
While returning for her final season of racing, the Olympian and her primary sponsor Athleta are teaming up with nonprofit &Mother to provide free childcare for athletes, TIME reports.
New Childcare Initiative
As a mother herself, Felix’s passion runs deep when it comes to advocating for them. Under the new partnership, athletes, coaches, and other participants at the 2022 U.S. National Championships will have access to the free childcare initiative.
Putting the vision to action was fueled by her and others’ challenging experiences with trying to find someone to care for their children to fulfill the commitments of their careers. In addition, a conversation with tennis legend Billie Jean King inspired her to make it happen because “if it’s successful, it could spread to other sports and industries,” TIME reports.
“How many athletes can come and get a hotel room, separate from what’s provided?” said Felix, per the outlet. “Who can bring a family member? To me, that’s like a huge barrier and burden and reason why women drop out and just say like, This is not going to happen. It’s one less thing to have on your plate. One less thing to think about.”
The 2022 U.S. National Championships will be held in Eugene, OR from June 23 to June 26.
Grants For Athletes
On top of the free childcare, Felix is set to join the Women’s Sports Foundation and Athleta’s Power of She Fund to “open up their next round of $10,000 childcare grants to qualified athletes.” Currently, the clothing company and foundation have awarded $200,000 in grants since 2021.
Just Women's Sports Investment
Felix’s initiative comes after her recent investment in Just Women’s Sports. As previously reported by AfroTech, she was a participant in the $6 million raise. The funding will go toward the media platform’s mission to celebrate women athletes in sports media.
