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This two-part series is in promotion of Team Gleason’s upcoming fundraiser, “Awesome Ain’t Easy,” on Saturday, May 29. We’ll explore the intricate relationship between the New Orleans Saints and the community, and how that inspired this event; then turn to the efforts of Team Gleason and the importance of funding in an interview with Director of Development, Kearney Gay.
Unique to the New Orleans Saints is transcendence past the game of football. There is an unparalleled bond between the city of New Orleans and the team — proof of that can be traced back to Sept. 25, 2006. When Steve Gleason blocked that iconic punt in the first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, he fiercely embodied the notion of resilience.
And perseverance through tragedy would become uniquely personal to Gleason. In 2011, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a neuromuscular disease considered terminal. Who could foresee that the ultimate hero had yet to endure his worst vicissitude of fortune?
A catalyst of hope and rebirth for a city devastated by tragedy, Gleason has since pivoted this tenacity into not just his own fight, but to improve the lives of all individuals diagnosed with ALS. It’s a battle people with ALS and their families can’t endure alone. It’s bigger than football. A feeling of which Saints fans are keenly familiar. Gleason’s fortitude on and off the field is nothing short of inspiring. It’s a fight, unfortunately, that requires significant funding; the loss of fundraising efforts for Team Gleason during the pandemic is substantial.
Just as Gleason’s actions helped revive the city, two New Orleans natives are rallying around his battle. Together, they created an upcoming fundraiser: “Awesome Ain’t Easy.”
Event Information
Awesome Ain’t Easy Fundraiser
May 29th – New Orleans
- 11 am – 5 pm
- $10 Donation
- Trep’s – 4327 Bienville Street
Link to Event
There’s the saying, “Life imitates art,” but oftentimes, the variation on that is, “Life imitates sports.” Saints fans know how sports can transcend past the turf and parallel their lives in different ways. Sports can bring together a community; or in New Orleans, revive it. For New Orleanians, football has been a relieving source of escapism and lesson in adversity.
“One thing that was consistent for me, through my childhood and what I was going through was the New Orleans Saints,” event host Zack French said. “It was something I could always look forward to and help me escape. That’s where my passion came from. To win the Super Bowl, and just to watch the impact that sports can have on a city, and showing that it’s more than just a game.”
French is a Madden streamer who tries to recreate realistic playbooks similar to the Saints during the season. He’s found that familiar sense of community within streaming; it inspired him to reach out to Team Gleason during the pandemic and put on a similar virtual event.
“I’m a die-hard Saints fan. I’ve always been passionate about the organization, and Team Gleason, and what they do,” French said. “I started video game streaming to show that it could be more than just video games, and use my platform for the greater good.”
This year, he wanted to grow the event and use the power of communities to do so; this inspired him to reach out to the Saints NFL Fan of the Year, Steph Williams. “She brought me the idea of connecting my virtual stream with a live in-person event in transitioning back to normal. We formulated an idea together and used both of our communities to try to make it happen.”
Like French, Williams also turned to the Saints as a pillar of consistency and escapism growing up. “My family didn’t have a lot of money,” Steph told me. “But on Sundays, we would always get together for family lunch and watch the Saints. That was our routine since I can remember walking. Win or lose, the Saints were always something that brought my family together.”
Williams continued: “And then Katrina hit. Most of my family was displaced because of the hurricane. I talk about the men that the team has. They’re amazing players, but even better men. To see them embrace such a broken community, and put their arms around us and say, ‘hey, we’ve got you.’ It wasn’t okay for a lot of people after Katrina, but the Saints made us feel okay. They made us forget we were living in a FEMA trailer, that we lost all our pictures.”
Williams saw Sean Payton, the locker room, the players and the way they embedded themselves in the community; it inspired her to want to be more than just a fan.
“It really got my wheels turning to say, I can do the same thing,” Williams said. “Maybe not on their level, but there’s different ways I can work with others to make an impact. I share a quote that Tom and Gale Benson had in the Super Dome prior to the remodel. ‘Legacy is not what you leave for people, it’s what you leave in people.’ I felt truer words couldn’t be spoken for what it means to be a part of this fan base, this family.”
“That’s the rebirth. That’s the leadership. Sean Payton, Drew Brees, who nobody wanted, right? And then blocking that punt. It was the perfect storm of things coming together. Ever since, we’ve been on a ride. They’re just such good people,” she finished. “It makes it easy to be a fan.”
And French added: “One thing it speaks to, being from Louisiana, Saints fans, just resilience. I think everything points back to resilience.”
A lot of that legacy is intricately tied to Steve Gleason, and his refusal to wave the white flag in the face of a terminal diagnosis. Just as Gleason helped revive a city, his organization Team Gleason needs the community to rally around them. It relies largely on fundraising; the hosts noted this as a pointed reason for wanting to put on the event. Through the power of community, they were able to get several players, both current and past, to further their efforts in this fundraiser.
Jameis Winston donated a signed a football for a consecutive year; last year was his first piece of Saints memorabilia. This year, it could be his first piece as the next starting quarterback. Or, it may end up being Taysom Hill, whose jersey will be auctioned off as well. Saints Hall of Famer Tyrone Hughes will be in attendance, as well as former New Orleans cornerback, Delvin Breaux. Delvin was able to come on ESPN New Orleans radio on 100.3 FM earlier to share his personal connection to the event, which you can listen to in Hour 3 here.
We’ll explore the necessity of this funding and what it provides to people with ALS and their families in the interview with Director of Development, Kearney Gay. But the efforts and tenacity of French and Williams are nothing short of inspiring. They’re the type of individuals that make you proud to be a Saints fan. As is Steve Gleason, and the players that have rallied around him for this event. Whether you’re in person with the hosts at Trep’s Nola, join the virtual Madden stream, or simply share the word, you’ll help make Awesome a bit Easier.
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