Jalen Rose has reached thousands of people with his generosity. His foundation, the Jalen Rose Foundation, has given more than $1 million in charitable donations to a variety of causes. The foundation was quick to aid victims of both Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Rose personally donated $100,000 to the development of a children’s hospital in the Congo.

Education is the cause most important to Rose – he created an endowed scholarship at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. Each year, the Jalen Rose Foundation awards a $10,000 scholarship to five high school students in the Detroit area who show passion for achieving their college dreams. “There are thousands of students in the Detroit area who want the opportunity to attend college, but simply can’t afford it.”

The foundation has placed a special emphasis on education ever since its 2000 creation. In 2003, the Professional Basketball Writers Association presented Rose with the annual Magic Johnson Award (given to the NBA player who best combines the attributes of Hall of Famer Johnson: excellence on the basketball court, cooperation with the media and community service). That same year, he received the Lubin Award for Community Service from the Chicago Bulls. Rose won the NBA Community Assist Award in both 2003 and 2005. He was also the recipient of the Sporting News Good Guy Award from 2002-2006.In 2006, the Jalen Rose Foundation was rated as one of the top 25 sports foundations in the world by OverTime Magazine. In 2009, Rose won the Community Champion Award from Black Enterprise in Detroit. More information about Rose can be found at www.jalenrose.com/philanthropy.

About Jalen Rose

Jalen Rose was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Southwestern High School and the University of Michigan. In college he was part of the legendary “Fab Five” where he and his teammates revolutionized the sport of basketball by wearing baggy uniform shorts, black socks and black shoes. The only team in Final Four history to ever start five freshmen, they led the Wolverines to back to back NCAA Championship game appearances. In 1994, Rose was drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets. Rose’s most memorable NBA moments during his thirteen-year career include winning the NBA’s “Most Improved Player” and “Player of the Week” awards in 2000 and “Eastern Conference Player of the Week” accolades in 2005. As a member of the Indiana Pacers, his team appeared in three straight eastern conference finals including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2000. An advocate of education, Rose graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies in 2005.