Cause Captain: Aneesah Morrow Champions Literacy with Books Between Kids
At the end of each Athletes Unlimited season, the league, powered by Give Lively and the Give Lively Foundation, makes a grant equal to 100% of each athlete’s end-of-season win bonus to the non-profit of the athlete’s choice.
Throughout this AU Pro Basketball season, fans can also help raise awareness of each athlete’s cause. Each week, fans can vote on which athlete’s cause they would like to learn more about, spotlighting the organizations and issues that matter most to AU athletes both on and off the court.
For Week Two, Aneesah Morrow was chosen to speak about her cause: Books Between Kids. The Houston-based organization collects and distributes books to economically disadvantaged children in the Greater Houston area. Since its founding in 2012, the organization has worked to address a critical need in the community. Approximately 80% of Houston ISD’s elementary-aged children live at or below the poverty line, making books a luxury many families cannot afford.
Q: How did you get connected with this cause?
Morrow: I got connected with my cause through AU, and I knew that I wanted to be able to be involved more in my community. I’ve been doing a lot of community service in Connecticut, and I really enjoyed the experience with just children in general…I feel like there’s so much knowledge that you can learn through reading books, and that was the biggest thing for me.
Q: Why is this cause important to you personally?
Morrow: The reason why I chose Books Between Kids is because, when I was in college, (LSU Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach) Bob Starkey would always give us books to educate us, of course, on sports, but honestly, just on life. I feel like it helped me a lot. The books that he gave to me, and that I still have, helped me as a person overall.
Q: Was there a moment in your childhood involving reading that sticks with you now?
Morrow: Yes, there are plenty. I love poetry. That’s the biggest thing for me. I love to journal, which is something that I really stepped into recently. But there are a lot of books that have really stuck with me. The majority of them are athletic books that I really enjoy; just being able to hear people’s stories. There are so many, and I appreciate the people that reached out to me and gave me those books.
Q: Why is it important for children to be able to build their own library at home?
Morrow: I feel like it is really important to be able to treasure books. There are so many different genres and so many things that you can learn. You just get to really embrace your passion through different worlds. And that’s the biggest thing. I love to see it and how passionate they are.
Learn more about AU’s Athlete Cause Program.
Take part in AU’s weekly Cause Captain voting process on Instagram @auprobasketball, or take the Cause Captain Quiz here.
