Milwaukee Bucks guard Wesley Matthews has given back to the Wisconsin community with a record personal gift to the MACC Fund.
Fellow Marquette alumni Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder may currently be grabbing headlines for their exploits in helping the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals, but Milwaukee Bucks guard Wesley Matthews also deserves his fair share of credit for his actions off-the-court.
Matthews returned to his home state of Wisconsin when he signed a two-year contract with the Bucks in the summer of 2019, making no secret of what it meant to him to return home as a professional after all these years.
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In addition to Marquette and the Bucks, Matthews can now forever be linked to another local institution following news of his recent personal gift to the MACC Fund.
The MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund, which was founded by Jon McGlocklin and Eddie Doucette, a championship winning former Buck and the team’s original and long-time broadcaster, respectively, is and organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer and blood disorders. Therefore, by way of McGlocklin and Doucette, it has always represented a cause that’s been closely linked to the Bucks, and one that those who watch Milwaukee basketball will have become intimately familiar with over many years.
That bond is now only further strengthened by Matthews’ actions, as it was reported by Julia Marshall of TMJ4 on Monday that the 33-year-old Bucks veteran had donated a record setting gift to the organization:
"“In MACC Fund history, no athlete has ever made as large of a personal donation as Matthews did and on Monday, the MACC fund accepted that gift.While the organization did not disclose the full amount of the gift, they stated that it will go towards advancing the mission to find a cure for childhood cancer and related blood disorders.”"
Marshall also reported that in conjunction with Matthews’ gift, two donations will be made with one going to the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, and the other to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
https://twitter.com/maccfund/status/1310598974987022336
Speaking to TMJ4, Matthews shared the following about his gift to the MACC Fund:
"“As a professional athlete, I feel a responsibility to use my platform to make a significant impact on the communities around me.Wisconsin is my home. The communities in Madison and Milwaukee have shaped me to be the man who I am today. Working to help improve the lives of these children means so much to me because they are the future of our community and of the state of Wisconsin.”"
Matthews was already a beloved figure with Milwaukee basketball fans, but this act of generosity should only further cement that status.
In the months ahead, Matthews may also decide to continue to make Milwaukee his home from a basketball perspective when he faces a player option for next season on his current deal with the Bucks.