As protests and demonstrations continue all across the United States following the death of George Floyd, Renee Montgomery has joined the sizable group of high-profile athletes taking action. The 2005 South Charleston High School graduate and 11-year WNBA veteran took a unique approach to help the city of Atlanta.

The ‘Renee Montgomery Foundation’ is supplying water in mass quantities to protesters in downtown Atlanta.

“Standing outside all day, you have to be thirsty. So I knew what I could do to have an impact, I could hand out water to the protesters and make sure everyone stays hydrated. As an athlete, that is a thing we make sure we do,” Montgomery said.

“We reached out to Defiance Fuel and they sent me ten cases right away and the rest was history.”

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Renee Montgomery didn’t ask for this, but now she doesn’t want it to stop. The sudden tidal wave of attention she is facing—interviews, talks with students, TV appearances, being part of LeBron James’s More Than a Vote campaign—is new to her, but she realizes its importance. Last week, Montgomery, an 11-year WNBA veteran who plays for the Atlanta Dream, announced that she would opt out of the 2020 season, which will be played at IMG Academy in Florida.

“There’s work to be done off the court in so many areas in our community,” Montgomery wrote on Twitter. “Social justice reform isn’t going to happen overnight, but I do feel that now is the time.”

“… I wanted to do for social reform that I realized I wasn’t working out or I wasn’t making time for the sport. I think that was the moment where I was like, “You know what? It’s probably better that I don’t go. Just my heart isn’t in it.” That’s how I came to the conclusion. … Let me not go and be a disservice to my team.”

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