Not one for the sidelines, Danyelle Musselman makes use of her distinctive expertise to arrange volunteer causes for victory.
Imagine it or not, Danyelle Musselman does say no.
A take a look at her checklist of volunteer causes, nevertheless, would point out in any other case.
Danyelle, spouse to College of Arkansas Head Males’s Basketball Coach Eric Musselman, has not solely made herself at house in Arkansas, she has made herself a mainstay of quite a few charitable and philanthropic organizations across the state up to now four-plus years.
A sampling of her many endeavors consists of the Youngsters’s Advocacy Facilities of Arkansas, co-chair of the annual Fits and Sneakers Gala benefiting the American Most cancers Society, market chair of Make-A-Want Mid-South, board membership on the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Most cancers Institute, board membership with the transitional housing group New Beginnings and talking engagements at Boys and Women Golf equipment, amongst many different issues.
“I strive to not decide to issues I’m not absolutely invested in,” Danyelle says, explaining that she really says no to one thing “each week.”
Being a former TV sports activities journalist and anchor, mannequin and actor, in addition to the partner of a high-profile coach, give Danyelle a platform to make use of her charms and skills for all of the causes to which she says sure.
“Being the primary girl, I suppose, of basketball, as they are saying, I believe that positively opened up Youngsters’s Advocacy Facilities of Arkansas and youngster abuse to an viewers we might not have reached but, so we’re very grateful for that,” says Misty Hunt, growth and public coverage specialist for CAC.
“The whole state of Arkansas is so supportive of the Razorbacks, and of Danyelle and I,” Eric says. “During the last 4 years, we have now seen that they typically wish to be part of issues that we assist. We’re in a position to deliver consideration to causes and nonprofits via our visibility and assist the group. It’s actually been unimaginable.”
CAC is appreciative sufficient to honor Danyelle as this yr’s Lady of Inspiration on the Oct. 23 occasion in Little Rock that additionally serves because the group’s major fundraiser.
“I’m really honored by it and actually humbled,” Danyelle says. “I don’t essentially love numerous consideration, as a result of individuals suppose everybody who’s on TV should love consideration. However that’s probably not my persona. I’m so humbled by that stuff. It’s not one thing I envisioned.”
SCREEN TIME
Born in St. Louis as Danyelle Sargent, her dad labored for Ford and the household moved “a ton.” She wound up graduating from highschool in Atlanta, which she considers house.
“That’s the place my household nonetheless lives now,” she says.
Danyelle turned inquisitive about sports activities whereas watching TV along with her dad, and performed basketball and softball and ran observe in highschool. She additionally had an curiosity in highschool stage productions and public talking.
Musselman attended the College of Florida to check communications with an eye fixed towards being a journalist, and he or she put her poise in entrance of individuals and the digicam collectively along with her profession ambition.
“Initially I assumed I wished to go to movie college,” she says. “I all the time actually liked writing and all of that, and as soon as I obtained into faculty, I don’t keep in mind if it was a category or what, however I wished to be in broadcasting, particularly as on-air expertise in sports activities.”
She achieved her purpose and was working as a nationwide anchor at FOX Sports activities Community when she met Eric Mussleman, who had already coached within the NBA and was within the viewers for a sports activities and media panel she was moderating in Los Angeles.
Danyelle was in her 30s and Eric was 12 years her senior, with two sons, Michael and Matthew. The couple married in 2009 and their daughter Mariah got here alongside about six years later.
Danyelle continued to work in broadcast sports activities journalism, transferring on to the NFL Community. Her job and Eric’s teaching had her bouncing between Los Angeles and wherever her husband was teaching till, when Mariah was round 3 years previous and Eric was on the workers at Arizona State, she gave all of it up.
“I used to be actually on a aircraft each week,” Danyelle says.
She was hardly ever at a loss for one thing to do, and in Arizona yet one more profession path opened up. Danyelle took Mariah to a modeling company “as a result of she’s a fantastic little lady, and so they mentioned, ‘Nicely, what about you?’ And I mentioned ‘Nicely, really, I simply left my job final week.’”
She started modeling domestically and performing in commercials — there are tax incentives for nationwide business manufacturing in Arizona — then moved to Louisiana when Eric turned affiliate head coach at LSU in Baton Rouge.
New Orleans, not that far-off, was much less in regards to the commercials and advertisements and extra about TV and films, providing breaks and tax incentives for screenplay productions. Danyelle met an agent via a exercise class and wound up touchdown a job as, what else, a reporter on an episode of “CSI: New Orleans” that she described as one of many coolest issues she’d completed in entrance of the digicam.
“I all the time obtained these reporter roles, however that was type of what I used to be,” she says. “It was one thing enjoyable to do. I’m all the time an individual who needs to be busy and all the time working.”
From desk reads to having a trailer to being fitted for wardrobe, it was the quintessential performing expertise, regardless that her display screen time wound up being restricted.
“You’re there all day after which your half is 15 seconds,” Danyelle says.
Her time as a mannequin and actor, she says, principally happened due to the place she and Eric geographically lived. The Ozarks can be a special kind of geography and provide one other new solution to keep busy.
Behind the Scenes
It wasn’t performing, however Danyelle obtained into volunteerism and philanthropy by additionally filling a job.
“To be trustworthy I take into account it type of like my second act in life,” she says. “I used to be not concerned in that space in any respect till Eric obtained the top job on the College of Nevada.”
The earlier coach and his spouse have been co-chairs of an American Most cancers Society occasion and the group known as the Musselmans to ask if they might step in. She was nonetheless in New Orleans on the time and had solely six weeks to assist pull the occasion collectively.
“I type of jumped in and did that and it went on from there,” she says. “I used my broadcasting background to be an emcee and host occasions.”
The Musselmans have been in Nevada from 2014-2019 earlier than Eric was employed at Arkansas. The couple wasn’t afraid of the transfer; he was a coach and coaches change location, whereas she had lived in 14 totally different states.
Nonetheless, Arkansas was a welcome place to land, even when it took some time to regulate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was on the horizon.
“As soon as I obtained right here I simply noticed how lovely it was. Gosh, you may get a lot on your cash right here after dwelling on the West Coast,” she says. “Folks have been so pleasant and embraced us instantly.”
As life started to return to close regular with the easing of the pandemic, Danyelle’s volunteer profession took off. She finds herself to be much less of a salesman and fundraiser and extra of an organizer, lending her skills to quite a few occasions that assist causes.
“I’ve came upon that I’ve a knack for, I don’t wish to say occasion planning, however simply creativity and concepts and I’m continuously trying and watching and seeing how totally different occasions are completed,” Danyelle says. “I attempt to create distinctive experiences that individuals wish to come again to.”
Working example is the Oct. 13 Fits and Sneakers Gala supporting the American Most cancers Society’s childhood most cancers analysis, providers and consciousness. For the sold-out NWA occasion, Musselman is planning a carnival-type environment that includes motion stations, artwork components like sneaker portray and naturally, lots of connections to the Razorbacks.
“Numerous issues that Danyelle does incorporate Razorback males’s basketball,” Eric says. “So we simply attempt to be part of as many causes as we’re in a position to. I really like that she introduces so a lot of our gamers to giving again to the group. It’s an vital life lesson.”
Her mom is a breast most cancers survivor, so preventing the illness ranks excessive on Musselman’s checklist of favourite causes. However she additionally labored on Waiters for Needs to learn Make-A-Want Mid-South and its efforts on behalf of children preventing crucial diseases. Held at Stroll-On’s in Fayetteville on Sept. 27, Waiters for Needs featured Razorbacks gamers and coaches as waiters.
“Danyelle has been working actually laborious on this occasion for the previous few months and I’m serving to by simply getting our guys there, so I solely know what she tells me,” Eric mentioned previous to the occasion. “She says it will likely be a extremely enjoyable occasion, and our gamers love interacting with followers, particularly youngsters, so I believe they’ll actually take pleasure in it.”
With one staffer in Northwest Arkansas, Make-A-Want Mid-South, which covers all of Arkansas, western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, wants all the assistance it may possibly get fundraising, says Make-A-Want Advertising and Communications Director Amanda Wiig. The lone workers member is liable for elevating hundreds of {dollars}, however it’s volunteers like Danyelle who perform a lot of the group’s work on the bottom.
“Danyelle is such a magnetic, charismatic, simply all-around enticing, energetic persona, and so if you’re round her you wish to be excited for what she’s enthusiastic about,” Wiig says. “You wish to get on board with what she’s doing.”
Totally settled in Arkansas now, along with her volunteerism at a excessive, Danyelle can take inventory of a satisfying scenario by which everyone seems to be pleasantly busy. Sons Michael and Matthew are on the Razorbacks workers as assistant coach and graduate assistant, respectively, and Mariah is in eighth grade and aggressive dance.
Eric, after all, is busy teaching and, as evidenced by her personal calendar, Danyelle has loads to do.
“Clearly I’m concerned in any and every little thing.”
Swimsuit & Sneakers Gala
Benefiting the American Most cancers Society
Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. | Fayetteville City Heart
Information: suitsandsneakersar.com
Lady of Inspiration Gala
Benefiting the Youngsters’s Advocacy Facilities of Arkansas
Oct. 23, 7 p.m. | Statehouse Conference Heart
Information: arwomanofinspiration.org
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JASON MASTERS
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