The seeds of the Udonis Haslem Foundation were planted in a young man who was always taught to never forget where he came from. This is why Haslem, along with his late stepmother, Barbara Wooten, founded UD Kids in 2005.
The organization was borne out of a desire to help children living in poverty enjoy the holidays and have adequate school supplies. Items that Udonis himself often missed out on as a child growing up in Liberty City.
In 2022, UD Kids became the Udonis Haslem Foundation under the leadership of executive director Shelly-Ann King. The rebranding broadened its scope to further accommodate the needs of the community. Though UD Kids remained one of its pillars, mental health and community accessibility were also added. The foundation moved forward with a new vision, “to impact the world by addressing the mental health issues that plague the inner cities by partnering with programs and organizations to provide increased access to services and opportunities to improve lives.”
This organization is proud of its growth and the work that it has done throughout the years. This includes its Small Business Grant Initiative in 2022, in which two Miami minority-women led small businesses each received $50,000 to improve their enterprises. Since then, the BDJ40 Scholarship was launched in honor of Udonis’ parents. Last year, two students received $15,000 each towards their college tuition. Two new winners will also be announced on June 18 this year.
On Sept. 20, the Udonis Haslem Foundation will host its third mental health event, “Hope for Tomorrow: Activating the Athlete’s Mindset for Better Mental Health.” In December we will host our 17th holiday shopping spree, now renamed the B-Wootie Holiday Program in which the foundation takes 100 children on a chaperoned shopping spree followed by lunch and amusement park fun.
This year marks our 20th anniversary and we choose to celebrate by honoring our late co-founder, Barbara Wooten, and by showing gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the organization throughout the years. The Udonis Haslem Foundation would like to thank everyone who has volunteered or donated to the success of all its initiatives.
Shelly-Ann M. King is the executive director of the Udonis Haslem Foundation.
shellyann.king@udcares.org
