By Rachel Terrill, Player Engagement Insider
The Seahawks Women’s Association recently hosted the 10th annual Just Us Girls event. Just Us Girls is a day of pampering and fun, designed by wives of Seahawks players, for teenaged girls who are receiving treatment for cancer or blood disorders at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
NFL Legend Grant Wistrom and his wife, Melissa, helped create the event a decade ago. While visiting patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, a teenaged cancer patient told the Wistroms about her experience as a cancer patient. She told them that she missed her friends and she felt embarrassed about her hair falling out and her body changing. She just wanted to feel like a teenager again – not just a cancer patient.
Melissa was moved to make a difference. “I wanted to do something to help her and other young women feel beautiful again. I also wanted to find a way to help them reconnect with their friends from home,” she said. Melissa met with Children’s Hospital and the idea of Just Us Girls was born.
Mellissa enlisted the help of a dozen other Seahawks players and coaches’ wives. Together, they funded, planned, and hosted the first Just Us Girls event. Ten young women (ages 13-17) who were receiving treatment for cancer or blood disorders were invited to attend. Each of the teens then invited one “well friend” to enjoy the day with them. By sharing the day with someone from home, the girls transcended the reality of being patients for the day as they made new memories together with their old friends.
Fast-forward a decade, “Just Us Girls” continues to grow and has become a permanent part of the Seahawks Women’s Association annual lineup of charitable events.
Anne Rich, (wife of Seahawks trainer, Donald Rich) and Merissa Kearse (wife of Seahawks wide receiver, Jermaine Kearse) co-chaired this year’s event for 15 young women. Both women share Melissa’s passion for helping these girls leave their diagnoses for a day to celebrate the joys of being a teenager.
“I first volunteered three years ago, and was completely hooked,” Rich said. “The girls were so amazing and inspiring, and it really put things into perspective with regard to not only what matters in life, but how much of a difference something so simple can make in a young girl’s life.”
The Space Needle donated the venue space and other local businesses and national brands donated their products and services to help make the event memorable for the girls. Participants had their choice of activities including manicures, pedicures, hair styling and makeovers. There were customizable art projects, games with great prizes, and a photo booth to help them capture fun memories together. Treats including Seahawks-themed cupcakes and a table filled with different types of candies decorated the room. The girls also receive a special tour of The Space Needle’s Observation Deck and brought home gift bags filled with swag from clothing and electronics to gift cards for their favorite restaurants and stores.
“These girls deserve, more than anyone, to be pampered, and it is our hope this event not only made them feel extra special and beautiful for a day, but also gave them a chance to get to know and meet other girls their age going through a similar experience,” Rich said.
Together, the Seahawks women found meaning in helping others – and they found identity in community as they worked together for a common good.
More than a dozen Seahawks women helped Rich and Kearse plan the event, procure the donations, and participate in the event. In community, they made sense of their role as Seahawks women. And in community, the girls from Seattle Children’s Hospital reconnected with their friends from home and with each other as they all celebrated a day of fun with “Just Us Girls.”
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For over thirteen years, Rachel Terrill has researched and written about relationships and marriages of professional athletes. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication from The University of South Florida. Rachel serves as a family advisor for the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University. Her work is featured in radio, television, online, and print publications. Rachel is the wife of Craig Terrill, who played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2004-2011. She can be reached at www.rachelterrill.com.