SEATTLE — It's an introduction that never gets old.
Elle Ladine, a guard for the University of Washington women's basketball team, grew up in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, a vibrant neighborhood of art and culture, but also greatly underserved.
Her family made it their mission to serve their community any chance they had.
"I've grown up and seen the impact it has on people," Ladine said. "People that I now call my uncles that were once on the street dealing with battling drug issues, I've seen it impact them and so it's shown me a lot of how important it is and how I can help give back in any way I can."
Ladine's mother, Marie-France, is the co-founder of a non-profit in another underserved neighborhood in San Francisco called The NEOS Initiative, which provides a K-5 private Christian school and afterschool programs. Marie-France Ladine made it her mission to give back.
"She's like one of my major donors," Marie-France Ladine said.
Elle Ladine donates monthly to her mother's nonprofit through the money she earns from her NIL fund.
"We always taught her that her time, her talent, and her treasure is not just for her, it's to be shared," Marie-France Ladine said. You're blessed to be a blessing."
For someone who averages more than 16 points per game, it's easy to think they're singularly focused on basketball, but Elle Ladine said it's bigger than basketball.
"I mean, we're blessed to be here," Elle Ladine said. "We get everything handed to us, honestly. Whenever I'm home, we don't get much time home, but for Christmas, me and my family try to keep the same tradition and go back to the inner city. Whenever I'm blessed from this school, I just try to give back my tithe to the people who helped me."
As someone who grew up in a similar school and neighborhood, Elle Ladine is the perfect partner for the kids in her mom's organization.
"It's had a great impact on me, just being in the private Christian small school, and to have an opportunity just meant a lot to me and so this non-profit is going to be great for the kids in the Bay View district, as well," Elle Ladine said.