In the current day of social media and NIL, college athletes across the nation are given the opportunity to make a name for themselves on and off the field. Many athletes have gained a following and can use these platforms in different ways. Pitt senior linebacker Brandon George knew he wanted to use his to do good and support something that meant a lot to him personally. With that in mind, this year he established his own charity campaign, B-Cause.
“As athletes, we’re given a platform that not many people are given the opportunity to have,” George said. “People in the community look up to us, not just as athletes but as people, and I think it’s an obligation to be able to use that as a movement for good. You have the opportunity — why not try and help as many people as you can before you’re kind of out of the spotlight?”
George’s B-Cause is a campaign aimed at raising $30 thousand for families involved with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
“All the money that I’m able to raise will go towards a fund called Mother’s Hope, which helps to cover the costs that come with supporting someone with a cancer diagnosis,” George said. “Food, travel costs, hotels if families need to stay overnight for any reason — we just want to help take the burden off of families that are impacted by cancer.”
The purpose behind this project is pretty personal for George, so when Pitt came to him with the opportunity to start his own charity campaign, there was no second guessing what the fund would represent.
“When I was in high school, one of my good friends was diagnosed with brain cancer,” George said. “I played football with him and his brother, and a year after he was diagnosed, he ended up passing away. Every game I still write his number on my wrist tape, and try to keep him on the forefront of my mind whenever I play. I knew I wanted to be able to help families like Anthony’s.”
The campaign site offers the ability to donate directly to the cause, as well as the ability to bet on two auctioned items that will also benefit George’s outreach project.
“We have an online page right now that allows you to donate to the cause, and we recently added two items for auction. One is a football that’s signed by everybody in our facility from top to bottom. Another item that I’m excited about is an opportunity where you can sit down with coach [Narduzzi] and go through film, basically a Pitt football experience,” George said.
George was able to see firsthand the impact this campaign had on those who benefit from the cause.
“People have come up to me and talked to me about their experience with Children’s Hospital. Whether it’s their son, daughter, brother or sister that has or is spending time there, and how much they appreciate everything I’m doing,” George said. “Hearing their stories and knowing that you’re helping somebody, is something you can’t really describe the feeling of. It’s really uplifting.”
Getting involved in this campaign has not only made George a better person but a better athlete as well.
“This has truly helped me realize how many people you can impact with your words and actions, especially while being a student athlete. I didn’t really recognize it in the younger phases of my career, but as I’ve grown as an athlete, I’ve seen how I can use this to do as much for the community as I can,” George said.
George plans on staying involved with the cause even after his time here at Pitt has finished, as he has gained so much from his involvement with this project.
“If I’m able to stay involved, I’m going to,” George said. “Again, it’s hard to describe what the feeling has been like being involved and how impactful this has truly been. The opportunity to keep that going, raise more money and help a few more people out, that’s not something you can pass up.”
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