A group of Marquette boosters is giving Marquette athletes the chance to use name, image and likeness (NIL) funds to help the community.
Marquette's Be the Difference NIL group recently held its first event and gave out school supplies.
"This is amazing," Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee Club Manager Rob Jackson says. "Just to put this event together, the kids are so excited. Just to get a chance to meet guys like Steve Novak and Travis Diener who played in the NBA. It's amazing for them to be out here and giving back to the community."
"This is the best part of NIL," Maquette University (MU) Women's Basketball player Chloe Marotta says. "There's a lot of talks about brands and things like this, but giving back to the community and seeing these kids. They're so happy to see us and meet us, and maybe we invite them to a game. They love this."
"This is the best thing we can do," MU Men's Basketball player Oso Ighodaro says. "Hang out with the kids, give them some positive influences and it's fun. We're just doing what we love with the kids and it's fun out here."
For Mequon's Marotta, she loves interacting with the kids.
"I like to answer questions," Marotta says. "The kids just love to ask questions. We do a really cool thing. We play college basketball. Not everyone has this opportunity, but how do we teach them about growing up a little bit and not even questions about basketball, but where are you in life."
While for Rob Jackson, a key part of Marquette's 2003 Final Four team, this is home.
"I was born and raised here in the City of Milwaukee," Jackson says. "Just to be from here, and to be able to come back and transfer to Marquette, and now to be working for an organization like the Boys and Girls Club giving back to the youth. It's just unreal."
