Boxing Champion Terence "Bud" Crawford to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nonprofit Founded by His Fourth-Grade Teacher
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026 -
Jamie Nollette taught Crawford in fourth grade at North Omaha’s Skinner Magnet School — and later became one of his closest mentors, helping guide his rise to boxing’s summit and shape the humanitarian campus in Uganda he will be honored for supporting
PHOENIX, AZ — Pipeline Worldwide, the Uganda-focused nonprofit founded by longtime Omaha educator Jamie Nollette, announced today that it will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to undefeated, five-division world boxing champion Terence "Bud" Crawford at the organization’s annual Unseen Champions: A Celebration of Impact, taking place October 8, 2026, from 5–8 PM at Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.
Crawford, who retired in December 2025 with a perfect 42-0 record, first met Nollette not as a champion but as a student in her fourth-grade classroom at Skinner Magnet School in North Omaha, Nebraska.
From the Classroom to the Ring
Long before he became one of boxing’s most decorated champions, Crawford was known around North Omaha as a kid who struggled to stay out of trouble, and he was expelled from several schools for fighting before he found his way into the ring. Nollette, then his teacher, was among the adults who saw promise in him early on.
The two lost touch as Crawford built his career, reconnecting around 2014 after he came across Nollette’s humanitarian work in Africa on Facebook and reached out, wanting to get involved.
A Mentor Beyond the Classroom
Since then, Nollette has become one of Crawford’s closest advisors, helping him build the team of legal, financial, and real estate professionals who guide his business affairs, and helping establish the board of directors for his own nonprofit, B&B Sports Academy in Omaha, where she served as board president for a decade.
The relationship also carried the two of them overseas together. Nollette and Crawford traveled to Uganda and Rwanda in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2024 — the trip during which Crawford first saw her vision for what would become Lonyi Village.
A Vision Realized
That vision is now reality. Pipeline Worldwide has spent more than a decade working in Moyo District, Uganda, and recently completed the first phase of Lonyi Village, a 3.4-acre humanitarian lodging and training campus designed to serve as a regional healthcare training hub for the West Nile Subregion. During a recent two-week trip, the organization hosted district leaders, launched its first pilot training in maternal and neonatal health, and began building partnerships with Muni University in Arua, the Uganda CDC, and the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University.
"None of this would have been possible without my incredible team and the extraordinary support of Terence Crawford," Nollette said. "Terence’s accomplishments in the ring are unmatched, but I want people to know him for what he is helping create beyond the ring: the transformation of an entire region."
"I’ll never forget our conversation about the legacy we could build together — saving lives, changing lives, and creating opportunities for people who have been overlooked and unreached," Nollette said. "I will never be able to thank him enough for his love and support."
About the Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented at Pipeline Worldwide’s annual Unseen Champions event, which celebrates individuals whose generosity and commitment have driven lasting change in the communities Pipeline Worldwide serves. Crawford joins this year’s slate of honorees recognized during the celebration in Phoenix.
About Pipeline Worldwide
Founded in 2010, Pipeline Worldwide is a 4-star Charity Navigator-rated nonprofit that partners with local leaders to strengthen communities living in extreme poverty in Northern Uganda. Its work centers on four pillars — Good Health & Wellbeing, Education, Sustainable Development & Jobs, and Economic Empowerment — and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Uganda’s own national priorities. Learn more at Pipeline Worldwide.
About Terence "Bud" Crawford
Terence "Bud" Crawford is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers in history. Born and raised in North Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford turned professional in 2008 and retired in December 2025 with a perfect 42-0 record, including 31 knockouts. Over a 17-year career spanning five weight classes, he captured 18 major world championships and became the only male boxer of the four-belt era to be recognized as an undisputed champion in three divisions — light welterweight, welterweight, and super middleweight — a run capped by his September 2025 victory over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Off the canvas, Crawford co-owns B&B Sports Academy, a community athletic center for Omaha youth, and has long partnered with Pipeline Worldwide, the nonprofit founded by his fourth-grade teacher, Jamie Nollette, to support communities in Uganda’s West Nile Subregion.
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Media Contact:
Shellie Rapson James
Pipeline Worldwide
Sjames@pipelineworldwide.org/508.713.1837
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