2024 Fundraiser – A Celebration of Dawn Staley
The third annual fundraising event, A Celebration of Dawn Staley, will be held on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. The event will recognize Coach Staley’s recent achievements on and off the court, and, most importantly, it will benefit the Dawn Staley Champions Fund.
About Dawn Staley
Dawn Staley’s life and career tell a story of grit and determination, overcoming the odds to achieve extraordinary success as a basketball player and coach. Since taking over the South Carolina women’s basketball team in 2008, she has brought home three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024). In 2024, Staley's Gamecocks became just the fifth program in women's college basketball history to have a perfect season, finishing 38-0. Staley coached South Carolina to a combined 109-3 record over the last three years. She was recently named the 2024 Associated Press Coach of the Year and the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year, becoming the first men’s or women’s coach to earn Naismith Coach of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons. In 2021, she led the U.S. women’s basketball team to an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo.
Supported Education Initiatives
The event will highlight three key education initiatives supported through the Dawn Staley Champions Fund — Gamecock Guarantee, the Richard T. Greener Scholarship and the Women’s Basketball Leadership Fund.
Gamecock Guarantee
The Gamecock Guarantee is a need-based financial and academic support program for academically talented first-generation students from South Carolina. The program offers students $4,500 of support per year, additional assistance such as scholarships, as well as access to programs and services that bolster their academic achievement and further enrich their undergraduate experiences.
Richard T. Greener Scholarship
Named in honor of the first Black faculty member at the university, the Richard T. Greener Scholarship is a $2,000, four-year scholarship awarded to incoming underrepresented freshmen based on academic achievement, leadership ability, community service and financial need.
Women’s Basketball Leadership Fund
The Women’s Basketball Leadership Fund improves the overall student-athlete experience by providing resources to foster success on campus and throughout life. Focus areas include leadership training, career resourcing and life skills development.
2024 Event Sponsors
Join our soon-to-be-announced 2024 event sponsors to make a positive difference through your support of the Dawn Staley Champions Fund.
Thank you to our 2023 event sponsors for your support of the Dawn Staley Champions Fund.
Platinum Sponsor
- Silver Sponsors
- Garnet Trust Foundation
- Grace Outdoor Advertising
- Michelin
- Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
- NMDP/Be The Match
- Truist
- Bronze Sponsors
- atkins law
- Canal Insurance
- Chernoff Newman
- First Citizens Bank
- Founders Federal Credit Union
- SouthState Bank
- USC Board of Trustees
- USC Development Foundation
- USC Educational Foundation