Clemson, South Carolina – April 9, 2022 – Three Clemson University football teammates of the early 1980s launched TigerImpact, a purpose-driven Name, Image, Likeness collective harnessing the passion and drive of Clemson’s student athletes to serve and further the extraordinary work of community charities, including many in the Upstate.
Founded by Rich Davies, Kendall Alley and Kevin Gemas, TigerImpact launched with commitments totaling more than $5 million and 12 Clemson athletes working on behalf of community charities that align with the athletes’ personal passions.
“TigerImpact is an innovative and effective way to assist student-athletes developing themselves and serving others while navigating the challenges and complexities of NIL with authenticity, integrity and professionalism,” Alley said in announcing the fund.
Davies, Alley and Gemas were joined by some of the student athletes and the charities they are supporting as well as board members and donors, including Brent Beason, Sherry ‘Thrift’ Bradshaw, Jimmy Brown, Molly Craig, and Brian Penner, among others.
Members of the TigerImpact advisory committee, some of whom were in attendance Saturday, are Austen Adams, Ben Boulware, Austin Bryant, Jonathan Byrd, Dan Garrison, Lucas Glover, Dexter Lawrence, Bob Pauling, Michael Dean Perry, Bradley Pinion, Darien Rencher, Hunter Renfrow, Aamir Sims, James Skalski, Will Spiers, David Treadwell and Christian Wilkins.
Together with the athletes, the multi-generational group builds on Clemson University’s culture of caring by connecting donors, community charities and student athletes with the goal of elevating the awareness of the charities, promoting the work they do and helping to expand their impact on our community.
“Our mission is simple: To provide student athletes with the opportunity to further develop themselves as part of their education while at Clemson and serve others by providing much needed support to community charities,” said Davies, president & CEO of Pavilion Development in Charlotte.
As representatives for the charities they support, student athletes will engage with their social media followers, share videos, make in-person appearances at charity events and fundraisers, and participate in other activities to support and promote the charities.
The initial list of the first athletes and the charities they support are:
Clemson football players:
- Bryan Bresee is working with Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Greenville.
- Beaux Collins is working with Collins Children’s Home in Seneca.
- Myles Murphy is working with the George and Roszena Shaw Center for Housing and Economic Growth in Clemson.
- Ruke Orhorhoro is working with Littlejohn Community Center
in Clemson - Will Shipley is working with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.
- Trenton Simpson is working with Boys and Girls Club.
The idea was born authentically stemming from a conversation Davies had with cancer survivor Bella Attisso, who shared the incredible work her charity is doing to help children facing the challenges of a parent battling cancer. Charities like Nshelter often do important but lack sufficient resources to attract the support needed to help more people.
“These community charities have a profound impact on the lives of countless members of our community – with exceedingly few resources and often working quietly behind the scenes without the time or means to tell the world of their good work and attract much-needed support,” said Alley, who recently retired as regional president at Wells Fargo in Charlotte.
“We believe our approach can and will be a national model demonstrating how leveraging the name, image and likeness of university student athletes can be done in a way that has a positive impact on communities and on the athletes, themselves,” Alley said.
NIL has transformed the landscape of college athletics, Davies said. “Gone are the days of showing up to watch best athletes compete on home turf. Going forward, the Clemson faithful need to get involved by helping TigerImpact grow its ability to attract the best players while complementing our cultural values.”
Alley, too, challenged the Clemson faithful to get involved with TigerImpact. “Clemson needs you – these student athletes need you – to help them develop into better, socially conscious members of their communities,” Alley said. “Come off the bench, get in the game … go to TigerImpact.org to help us positively impact lives!”
About TigerImpact
Positive Impact Fund for Tiger Charities, LLC established TigerImpact in 2022. The fund compensates student athletes to support community charities they’re passionate about, leading to increased exposure for the charities and meaningful, impactful NIL work for the student athletes. The purpose-driven fully compliant NIL collective sets a standard in college athletics and can be both a competitive advantage and source of pride for the athletes of Clemson University and its community.
TigerImpact employs proprietary technology and algorithms to compensate student athletes for their work on behalf of community charities at a level that takes into account their three-, four- and five-star performance ratings, the size of their social media audience, and the media coverage garnered by their sport and player position.
Donors and non-profits interested in participating in the fund are encouraged to visit TigerImpact.org
for more information.
o Clemson softball player Valerie Cagle is working with Nshelter in Seneca.
o Clemson men’s basketball player PJ Hall is working with Carolina Miracle League in Spartanburg.
o Clemson women’s soccer player Renee Lyles is working with Soccer in the Streets Atlanta.
o Clemson men’s soccer player Isaiah Reid is working with Boys and Girls Club of York County in Rock Hill.
o Clemson women’s basketball player Amari Robinson is working with the university’s ClemsonLIFE program.
o Clemson volleyball player Mckenna Slavik is working with Anderson County PAWS.
