My Grandma Betty always told me that the key to life was to always have something to look forward to — whether it was a cup of tea tomorrow morning or a trip months away.

I didn’t fully understand how powerful those words were until I was grieving Matthew.
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IT WAS NEVER JUST ABOUT THE TICKETS.

I am one of football’s biggest and proudest fans. I love the game — the competition, the traditions, the stats, the wins, the heartbreak and everything that happens between the goal lines.

But I’ve always believed football is about so much more than the score.

It’s the people beside you. The anticipation on the way to the stadium. The tailgate. The high fives with strangers. The roar of the crowd. The friends and family who become part of your game-day traditions.

Football brings people together.

After Matthew died, I experienced the power of that in an entirely different way.

Those Jets tickets weren’t just seats in a stadium.

They gave the twins and me somewhere to go. Something on the calendar. A connection to a world Matthew loved. They gave our children moments to cheer and laugh. They gave me the incredible gift of watching my children smile during a time when smiles could be hard to find.

They allowed us to make new memories without leaving Matthew behind.

It was community.

It was connection.

It was joy.

It was hope.

It was something to look forward to.

That act of kindness stayed with me and helped shape what One Yard at a Time would become.

I can never repay the New York Jets for what they gave our family during one of the hardest times of our lives. But I can pay that kindness forward.

I can give another widow a reason to get out of the house.

I can give another child a day to just be a kid.

I can help another family make a new memory while still carrying the person they love with them.

What the Jets gave our family became the gift I wanted to give another.

Not just tickets.

A team. A memory. A reason to cheer again. Something to look forward to.

That’s how One Yard at a Time began.
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WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE LEFT BEHIND.

When someone dies, we understandably focus on the person we lost.

We honor their life. We tell their story. We surround their family with love.

But eventually, the calls slow down. The meals stop coming. Everyone returns to their lives.

And the people left behind are still there.

A widow isn’t grieving just one loss.

She may have lost her spouse, best friend, co-parent, financial partner, protector, teammate and the future they planned together — while suddenly becoming responsible for every decision, bill, house problem, practice, appointment and milestone.

And children don’t only lose a parent.

They lose that parent again at birthdays, graduations, games, dances, holidays and all of the ordinary moments in between.

Grief doesn’t end when the funeral does. Neither should support.

We need to start a bigger conversation about what happens after loss — and how we show up for the families who wake up the next morning and somehow have to begin navigating a life they never chose.

One Yard at a Time exists for them.

For the people still here.
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WE CAN’T CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED.

BUT WE CAN HELP CHANGE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

We cannot erase the worst chapter of a family’s story.

We cannot give a child their parent back or a widow the future she thought she would have.

But trauma does not have to be the final chapter.

We can help create the conditions for post-traumatic growth.

We can surround families with people who understand.

We can put something exciting on the calendar.

We can create opportunities for children to laugh, cheer and simply be kids.

We can give a widow a day when she doesn’t have to carry everything alone.

We can create new memories while honoring the person who should still be there making them.

And sometimes, one really good day can remind a family that there can be more really good days ahead.

That’s the power of something to look forward to.
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THE HUDDLE HUB

Because the game is one day. The community is every day.

What started with NFL experiences has grown into something even bigger.

The HUDDLE HUB is our community of widows raising children who understand a life they never expected to be living.

Here, no one has to explain the hard parts.

The secondary losses. Solo parenting. Making every decision alone. Showing up for milestones without your person. Trying to create a beautiful life for your children while carrying grief alongside you.

There is friendship here.

There is laughter.

There are people to text on the hard days and people who genuinely understand the good ones.

And something equally important happens:

Our children meet other children who understand, too.

They get to see that their family may look different now, but they are not the only ones.

The NFL experience may introduce a family to One Yard at a Time.

The HUDDLE HUB gives them a team long after the final whistle.

Because no widow — and no child grieving a parent — should have to navigate this life alone.
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ONE GAME CAN BECOME SO MUCH MORE.

A ticket can become the first thing a child has been excited about in months.

A stadium can become the place a family laughs together again.

A game can introduce one widow to another who becomes a lifelong friend.

An experience can become a memory a child carries forever.

A scholarship can help a young person take the next step toward their future.

A community can remind an entire family:

You are still here.
You are still loved.
There is still life ahead.
And you do not have to do this alone.

This is what One Yard at a Time is building.

One family at a time.
One experience at a time.
One yard at a time.
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BUT WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU.

Every experience has a cost.

Every ticket. Every hotel room. Every flight. Every special experience. Every community gathering. Every scholarship. Every pocket of joy.

It all happens because someone chooses to make it possible.

Your donation doesn’t simply buy a football ticket.

It can give a widow something to put on the calendar when getting through tomorrow feels hard.

It can give a child a day filled with cheering instead of grief.

It can help a family travel to an experience they otherwise couldn’t afford.

It can help connect a widow to a community that continues showing up long after game day.

It can help a young person take another step toward their future.

And there are more families waiting.

More widows who need a team.

More children who deserve a reason to cheer.

More memories waiting to be made.

MORE FAMILIES ARE WAITING.

But we can only say YES to them when someone says YES to us.

When you donate to One Yard at a Time, you aren’t watching this mission from the sidelines.

You’re putting another family in the stands.

You’re creating the next pocket of joy.

You’re helping fund the next scholarship.

You’re helping another widow find her team.

You’re giving another family something to look forward to.

We can’t do this without you.

HELP US SAY YES TO THE NEXT FAMILY.

JOIN THE TEAM — DONATE NOW

We can’t rewrite what happened.
Together, we can help write what comes next.

One family. One unforgettable memory. One yard at a time.