Danielle Robinson has earned some extremely meaningful recognition from the WNBA, receiving the league’s Community Assist award for the month of June.

Robinson has been extremely involved in the local community since coming to Minnesota. She has become deeply involved with the Simpson House, a support and advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness. She has served meals there once a month, handed out blankets and provided Lynx tickets to under-resourced youth and their families. Robinson has also been extremely active with organizations supporting LGBTQ+ communities in addition to serving as a mentor for the Lynx Dream Team.

There’s more, and to read about everything Robinson has done in her community check out the WNBA’s extensive press release on the subject. Giving back to the community isn’t about receiving awards, of course, but it is also a great thing that the league recognized Robinson’s hard work and constant commitment to bettering the world around her with this award.

Robinson’s desire to give back to her community started long before she was a professional basketball player, but the opportunities afforded to her by her career have only amplified her desire to share what she has.

“When I was younger my mom really instilled that in me. At church, we used to go serve at the homeless shelter, we’d always, whatever extra clothes that we had grown out of or didn’t wear anymore we were always trying to find places to give our clothes to,” said Robinson. “It was something that was instilled in me at a young age and as I got older, you know, you travel the world playing basketball, you’re afforded all these opportunities and you’re just like, I have so much and I have so much to give as well. It’s been a really big part of who I am. I’m super blessed and to be able to give back in the slightest bit it makes my heart happy, it brings me joy.”

As a leader on the Lynx, it is important for Robinson to set a tone for the rest of her team. Whenever she is about to volunteer, she always shoots a text to her teammates to see if any of them want to join her. Many have on multiple occasions. This is a community that strongly supports the Lynx—it’s only right that they do the same for it

“To be able to give back and to be able to put our [Lynx] name on it, I think it’s special,” said Robinson. “I think people realize that we’re there for them all the time. It doesn’t matter, we might have a game tomorrow, we may have practice in the morning, but we’re taking our time now because they’re that important.”

“Those people at the homeless shelter, it’s one bill away from being homeless or it’s just one little thing that you might not even think about because it doesn’t cross your mind because you have so much,” she continued. “Being able to lead in that way is something that I don’t take lightly, and I’ve enjoyed growing those relationships with my teammates as well.”

Robinson’s service comes from an extremely generous and honest place. Whether or not she receives recognition has no bearing on her willingness to invest her time in her community. Nevertheless, it is an honor to be recognized by the league. Many teams and players in the WNBA invest heavily in the community so for Robinson to be singled out as the recipient of this award is special.

“To be recognized in Minnesota, I think it’s… it basically makes me speechless,” Robinson said. “I don’t do it for the awards or the credit, I do it for the people, so to be able to represent the Lynx organization and our community—because we have really special people obviously in the Twin Cities—to be able to share our time with each other means a lot.”

Wherever life takes her, giving back will continue to be of great importance to Robinson. She is constantly making her community a better place.