VFL Williams Receives Bill Russell Mentoring Legacy Award

BOSTON – MENTOR National, an organization dedicated to unifying mentoring across the nation, announced Friday that VFL Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics is the second recipient of the Bill Russell Mentoring Legacy Award. Through this award, MENTOR recognizes and honors Williams' efforts to provide and support mentoring services to youth in Massachusetts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and MENTOR have held a longstanding relationship since 2014 and have since connected thousands of mentors and mentees across the nation.

Williams began a group mentoring program in April 2020, shortly after the NBA paused its 2019-20 season, with six Massachusetts-based high school students—Josiris from Lawrence, Eden-Samuel from Brockton, Dante from Holyoke, Amiyr from Hyde Park, Moise from Mattapan and Dontay from Cambridge.

"In conjunction with Thank Your Mentor Day, we're thrilled to present Grant Williams with The Bill Russell Mentoring Legacy Award for all of his work with local youth and elevating the mission of mentoring," David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR National, said. "This award honors mentors in our communities who dedicate their time and effort to supporting young people and helping them set and achieve their goals. Grant's guidance and support for his mentees serves as a prime example of how each of us can give back to the community and set young adults on the path to a bright future."

From his hometown in Charlotte, North Carolina, Williams hosted weekly group sessions over Zoom. As the group got closer over their shared experiences, they connected with via social media and through text messages, relying on Williams and each other for support during this unprecedented year. In an interview with The Undefeated, Williams said that mentoring has been a big part of his life and credits his parents, grandfather and basketball coaches as his mentors.

"This award is such an honor, especially with Bill being such an idol of mine," Williams said. "Thank you to my mentees; this wouldn't be possible without you guys. All six of them made a mark on me, and they know they can reach out any time and we'll keep having fun and continue to build and grow together."

Williams graduated from Tennessee after three years and was selected by the Celtics in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft after a stellar collegiate career that saw him earn 2019 unanimous first-team All-America honors and back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards. He finished his Tennessee career ranked in the top 10 of UT's all-time lists for blocks (3rd/160), free-throw attempts (3rd/661), free throws made (4th/501) and offensive rebounds (8th/257); he also finished 12th in scoring (1,629).

Bill Russell helped found MENTOR more than 30 years ago and has remained committed to growing the mentoring field over the last 30 years. As Russell received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award from the ESPYs in 2019, he insisted on elevating the mentoring movement as part of the recognition.

For more information about MENTOR National and to get involved, visit Mentoring.org.

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VFL Williams Receives Bill Russell Mentoring Legacy Award

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