Caitlin Clark hands out backpacks for children in need during visit to Des Moines North High School – Screenshots from @MurphyKeith on X
With the WNBA on its Olympic break, Caitlin Clark is engaging in charitable activities, visiting a public high school in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, where she also played her college years, to distribute backpacks and school supplies to kids.
Caitlin Clark visited Des Moines North High School and surprised 350 public school kids with Nike backpacks filled with school supplies.
The recipients are all from the Des Moines Independent Community School District, the largest public school district in Iowa, supported by the Caitlin Clark Foundation.
In an interview with Des Moines network WHO 13, Clark expressed her joy in giving back to a community that means a lot to her.
“This is the coolest part of what I get to do. Like, being able to give back to a place that has given me so much,” she said.
“Obviously, the Des Moines area has meant a lot to me. So, to be able to use my resources and my platform to be able to give back to kids and families that, you know, have been an integral part of my life, is really cool.”
Clark, born in Des Moines, attended Dowling Catholic High School, where she was named a McDonald’s All-American and rated the fourth-best player in her class by ESPN.
She spent her college years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, setting the record for the most points in NCAA history.
What Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are focusing on during the WNBA’s Olympic break
With the WNBA on an Olympic break from July 21 to Aug. 14, Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides emphasized the team’s focus on improving their defense to make the playoffs.
“We’ve gotta do a better job of keeping people in front of us. We have to do a better job of pressuring the basketball,” she said (per IndyStar).
“Our transition defense has a lot to do with us and our turnovers. But if we’re just in the half-court, team defense is so important.”
Last year, the Indiana Fever won 13 games, finishing 10th out of 12 teams. This season, they are the seventh seed and on track to make the playoffs, needing two more wins to match their total from last year.
“That’s our goal. Making the playoffs is our goal. We’re sitting in a playoff position right now. We have to keep getting better to put ourselves where we’re not hoping people are losing games or waiting until the end. We want to be a playoff team this year,” Sides said.
Clark is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and a league-leading 8.2 assists for the Fever this season. She set the single-game record for assists (19) and recorded the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history.
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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
