On July 8, 2024, the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF) commemorated the fifth anniversary of the AntetokounBros Academy with a dynamic and inspiring event at ACG’s Aghia Paraskevi campus. This celebration not only marked a significant milestone for the foundation but also highlighted its profound partnership with The American College of Greece, directly empowering young individuals facing significant challenges to pursue their dreams.
The festivities commenced with a thrilling 3X3 basketball tournament, symbolizing the foundation’s commitment to leveraging sports as a catalyst for youth development. This was followed by the graduation ceremony of the AntetokounBros Academy that honored more than 100 students who participated in the academy’s 2023-2024 year. Every participant received medals and gifts, and 6 promising athletes were also offered scholarships to attend professional basketball academies to improve their skills. Furthermore, along with the athletes, the academy gives an opportunity for young people, ages 18-25, to train as junior coaches. This year, one exceptional trainee was awarded a 10-month position as the Year 6 coach at Eurohoops, beginning September 2024.
A poignant moment of the ceremony was Iliana Lazana, Senior VP of Administration and Pierce, conferring an honorary degree to Veronica Antetokounmpo in recognition of her outstanding contributions to philanthropy and education. Mrs. Antetokounmpo joins an esteemed group of 97 previous recipients of the Doctorate of Deree, all of whom have demonstrated the highest standards of personal and professional achievement and social contributions, embodying the values to which ACG is committed.
The collaboration between the Antetokounmpo family and The American College of Greece extends beyond this memorable event. CAFF has a 5-year partnership with ACG to expand the educational programs the AntetokounBros Academy offers. This initiative includes integrating life skills, leadership development workshops, as well as mentoring initiatives into the academy’s curriculum, conducted at the premises of Pierce College. The partnership facilitates pathways to higher education for under-resourced youth and refugees. CAFF funds college scholarships at ACG for two graduates of the AntetokounBros Academy. Additionally, CAFF supports the Education Unites program, which offers full scholarships at ACG to more than 40 students yearly, serving refugee, migrant, and displaced students.
Giannis, Thanassis, Alex and Kostas were joined on stage by four students of the ACG Education Unites, who are supported by CAFF. It was heartwarming to hear from Fridoon Joinda from Afghanistan that upon his graduation with a Communications & Journalism degree, he set up a podcast to promote immigrant and refugee voices (the UnTold Podcast); Memory Kondowe from Zimbabwe aspires to be an ecologist to help the communities and the environment; Amar Abouassaf from Syria dreams of combining his theatre studies major and political science to make a difference; Kostas Telianidi from Ukraine is studying Entrepreneurship and dreams of using his studies and talents to make a living doing what he loves.
Two graduates of the AntetokounBros Academy, Ioannis Tshoulchai and Tzosua Anagnostopoulos, received a full-time scholarship funded by CAFF to study at Deree.
The evening culminated with a special reception featuring distinguished speakers from both institutions, including members of the Antetokounmpo family. A panel discussion featuring Alison Townley, Vice President of Advancement at The American College of Greece, Domna Michailidou, former Greek Minister of Labor, and Bill Karnazes, Chief Services Officer at Viohalco, explored avenues for fostering a more inclusive society in Greece.
At ACG, inclusivity is not just a goal but a reality, as illustrated by the inspiring words of VP Townley, who highlighted the diversity and inclusivity of the college, noting,
Here at The American College of Greece, I think we have tones of examples of programs that promote inclusivity. We have 70 nations represented at this school, 7.500 students from the ages of pre-kindergarten to graduate level, and I would say that one of the hallmark programs, that we are so proud and grateful to the Antetokounmpo family for supporting us, is Education Unites. With the help of the family and the CAFF Foundation, we are now supporting 40 students per year, refugees from all over the world, to achieve their education and get degrees.
The four Antetokounmpo brothers shared their mentality and approach in a heartwarming way:
Thanassis described kids who overcome difficult circumstances as ‘superhuman,’ emphasizing their strength to change the world, kids who are being supported by CAFF. Giannis agreed and reflected on their own experiences:
We wouldn’t be here today without the people who stood by us, the supportive community around us. We wouldn’t be able to go to school, play basketball in the playground. Some people gave us their arm, and we grabbed it. That’s why we can identify with kids from vulnerable backgrounds and think they do make a superhuman effort to overcome their circumstances. You just need to extend your arm and they will run 10 laps.
Alex highlighted the importance of role models:
We want to participate and be involved because of the kids. It only takes one person, one example to believe you can do it. So, when the kids see good role models, they automatically think they can do it too and can give back as well. Those superhumans are the next ones to be sitting here in our place, right? Being able to inspire them to build their own community is what we are trying to do.
Kostas chimed in and stressed the value of diversity:
We will never be able to find solutions if everyone thinks the same. Diversity is very important, celebrating that everyone is different and that a good team has different people who play together, like a team.
Further expanding their impact, CAFF announced that they will take the success of this program to Milwaukee by launching the AntetokounBros Academy in July 2024. The new name of this program will be Antetokounmpo Academy, and it will now run in Athens and Milwaukee, with plans to expand globally in the coming years.
The Antetokounmpos are proof that where opportunity and determination meet, all things are possible. And CAFF was created to mobilize that impact on a global scale. “The goal was always to make this bigger than basketball,” Giannis noted during his speech ‘We want to be remembered for what we do for the community. So, we seek to inspire others to get involved, extending the impact far beyond what this one family can do together.”
The event closed with a shared sense of accomplishment and optimism for the future, underscoring the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation’s unwavering commitment to nurturing the potential of youth through holistic education and community support.
For more information about the Foundation and its initiatives, please visit https://caff.foundation/ and https://www.antetokounbrosacademy.net/.