Rutgers鈥� Paul Mulcahy impacting lives off the court with Grateful 4 Foundation
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (BVM) 鈥� The basketball court isn鈥檛 the only place Rutgers junior Paul Mulcahy is making an impact. He’s created a non-profit organization off the court as well.聽
While so many were at home during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the 6-foot-6 guard took advantage of the time to start the Grateful 4 Foundation, which spreads awareness of gratitude.
Mulcahy grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey, a small city outside New York that鈥檚 home to about 75,000 residents. While in high school, he made the morning commute to attend Gill St. Bernard’s preparatory school in Gladstone. The two areas were completely different from one another, exposing him to varying lifestyles.
Witnessing so many types of people and their unique lives, the Scarlet Knight guard made a conclusion that would eventually lead him to try to change the lives of many.
鈥淎lthough there were a ton of differences between the two places, I felt that people were more alike than they were different,鈥� Mulcahy said. 鈥淗owever, an emotion that all people can feel is gratitude. It doesn鈥檛 discriminate against a certain race, religion or socioeconomic background. So, I knew when I had time to start an organization to help people, I wanted it to be surrounded by the idea of gratitude.鈥澛�
Mulcahy considers gratitude to be underappreciated, so that quality is the main focus of the Grateful 4 Foundation. He wants to remind people there is always something to be thankful for in their lives.
鈥淥ur mission is to spread the idea of gratitude and inspire a chain reaction of selfless acts,鈥� Mulcahy mentioned. 鈥淲e want to bring people together from all walks of life, and we want to help as many people as possible. Not just one select group of people, since we believe that gratitude can impact everyone.鈥�
Coming out of high school, the four-star prospect had scholarship offers from Northwestern, UConn and Xavier, but he decided to remain in his home state and take his talents to Rutgers.聽
Being a member of the basketball program has been a huge help in growing the Grateful 4 Foundation, with Mulcahy drawing off a passionate fan base.
鈥淎 big reason why I came to Rutgers was its alumni base,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, having the opportunity to play in the Big Ten. It is one of the best conferences in America, and it has helped me spread the foundation across the country. Rutgers and its entire community have helped me in so many ways.鈥�
It includes growing a social media presence. In 2020, Mulcahy officially launched the Grateful 4 Foundation on his personal Instagram and the post collected over 10,000 views, which in turn helped the organization to gain more than 600 followers on its own Instagram account. The Rutgers men鈥檚 basketball team鈥檚 Instagram account, which has 35,000 followers, has brought added focus to Mulcahy and the foundation.
The NCAA鈥檚 policy change in 2021 to allow student-athletes to benefit and profit from name, image and likeness (NIL) has led to even more opportunities. Through a partnership with the company Spreadshop, Mulcahy can sell merchandise for his organization, which he could not have done prior to NIL, and profits have gone to support the Grateful 4 Foundation.
While social media is currently the main resource for growing the organization, Mulcahy has hopes of establishing a Grateful 4 headquarters in his hometown in the future.聽
鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檇 love to have a headquarters in Bayonne,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want it to be kind of like a YMCA or Boys & Girls Club, a safe space for the community. The goal is to take it both nation- and worldwide as time goes on.鈥�
It takes a special kind of talent to not only do everything to help a team, but also give back to a community. Mulcahy cares deeply about both causes. With the dedication and hard work that he is putting into the Grateful 4 Foundation, one can only assume it鈥檚 going to continue to grow and change the lives of many for years to come.
