Through Mal’s Pals, Drexel hooper Maura Hendrixson has continued a culture of giving
For every Hendrixson assist, a donation will go to the Mal's Pals Foundation which benefits rare childhood diseases.
There’s a literal and figurative benefit to every assist Maura Hendrixson makes this season.
Each assist by the fifth-year senior guard on the Drexel women’s basketball team will raise money directly for the Mal’s Pals Foundation in conjunction with the team’s Assisting Others campaign.
Additionally, Drexel is scheduled to host an Assisting Others night on Feb. 10 when it plays Charleston.
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“How it works is that for every assist I make, you can make a pledge to donate money to the cause I have chosen, which is Mal’s Pals Foundation,” said Hendrixson, who leads the Dragons (5-3) with 53 assists going into Tuesday’s game at Dartmouth. “I chose this organization because it is for Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, which a very close family friend of mine has been diagnosed with.”
The person is 2-year-old Connor Keenan. Hendrixson hopes to use the money to raise awareness of Keenan and RTS itself. The syndrome is characterized by intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, and short stature. The Mal’s Pals Foundation, named for a Boston girl named Mallory, originated in 2017. It strives to raise awareness about rare diseases such as RTS.
“Our team loves being a part of the community and helping people out,” said Hendrixson, a 5-foot-9 guard from Cardinal O’Hara. “This [Assisting Others campaign] was actually started by a former player, Meg Creighton [in 2017]. Many of my former teammates have done this fund-raising, so every year I’ve been at Drexel, I’ve felt inspired to do the same. As soon as Connor was diagnosed with RTS, I knew I wanted to do this for him.”
When it comes to Connor, Hendrixson says he’s always been one of the happiest people she knows.
“He loves the beach, and he loves going outside,” Hendrixson said. “He isn’t able to speak much, but he loves music and he loves to make sounds. He’s just always so happy, and has a smile on his face.”
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Hendrixson chose to use assists as her mode of raising money, as this tends to be her sweet spot. In the 2021-22 season, she averaged 3.4 assists per game. This season, she’s averaging 6.6 assists, as well as 6.6 points.
“I love finding my teammates and passing to them and setting them up for a great shot, and I love that this can raise money for Connor,” she said. “They go hand in hand.”
Hendrixson hopes this will help inspire her younger teammates to continue a tradition that inspired her.
“I appreciate that this isn’t something that the coaches make us do, we all want to do it ourselves,” she said. “I’m just happy to play my small part.”
If you wish to donate to Mal’s Pal’s Foundation, you can do so at malspalsfoundation.org, or through Hendrixson’s Pledge It page.