Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa announces MambaOnThree fund for families of all those who died in the crash
Vanessa Bryant is carrying forward the benevolent legacy of her late husband, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, as she mourns him and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Just days after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed both their lives along with seven others, Vanessa announced she is providing support to the families of the other victims.
The 37-year-old widow finally broke her silence on Wednesday and addressed the shocking deaths of her husband and daughter. In the wake of the tragedy, she announced that the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up a new charity aimed at providing relief to the families of John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan, People reports.
“We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately,” Vanessa wrote on Instagram.
“To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy,” she added. “To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.”
The Mamba Sports Foundation provides diverse sports opportunities for underprivileged Southern California communities and also provides funding for less fortunate athletes. The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter carrying Kobe and the group was on its way to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County, California, near Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy, when it crashed in Calabasas on Sunday.
Vanessa also thanked “the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time.”
“We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” she added.
Vanessa admitted she's not sure how to recover from the tragedy, but said she and her family are going to "keep pushing."
“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way,” she concluded.