Every season, players across the NFL amplify worthy causes or charities of their choice in the league's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign.
On December 1st, several Patriots will wear their custom cleats on Monday Night Football vs. the Giants. For WR Efton Chism III, it was a no-brainer to use his platform to draw attention to the "Big Heart, Big Smile" foundation, which is based out of Chism's home state of Washington. The foundation was created in memory of Kaci Edelbrock, who tragically passed away at just six years old in 2018.
The Edelbrocks suffered a heartbreaking tragedy when young Kaci and her grandma Lois were tragically lost in a motorhome accident. The foundation aims to help grieving children process loss in a safe space. Big Heart, Big Smile hosts several events throughout the year, including Kaci's Big Toy Giveaway, Kaci's Backpack Project, Kaci's Kindness Cards, Kaci's Big Hugs, and an annual 5k run in Washington.
"It's dear to me because I knew the family who ended up having the tragedy," Chism said. "We really started it to help kids or people in general who go through grief as a child, so I got behind it because I knew the family. It was easy for me to (choose). As the foundation grew, my platform grew a little bit as well. I was like, man, such a cool opportunity to help them out as best I can. The foundation started after the tragedy, and within a year, it got really big back home. We have a 5k every year and do a toy drive; we do a lot of things."
Although a tragic loss like Kaci's impacts everyone, the foundation specifically aims to help other children deal with loss. Therefore, Big Heart, Big Smile has established peer grief support groups for children to help kids process loss at their own pace, something that can get overlooked in the aftermath of these tragic accidents.
"I don't know if I could imagine losing my sister, but I put myself in those shoes sometimes. I don't know where I'd be or what I would do next. I think it's pretty cool that someone started that and gave that platform to the kids," Chism said. "When [the tragedy] happened, it was a big deal. It was one of those things where you don't even think it's real. After that, we got [the foundation] going."
With the Patriots playing in primetime on Monday night, Chism will wear his custom cleats, which feature a specific shoutout to Kaci. In his downtime, Chism creates his own art, but given the hectic nature of a player's football season, he passed the torch to a friend to create the cleats he'll wear against the Giants in Week 13. On the cleats, Chism made sure to have a reference to Kaci's favorite movie: Disney's Frozen.
"So, my buddy actually got to do them for me. The girl who passed away was big into Frozen. She had an Olaf costume, and she was always wearing it. She was always running around in it, so I wanted to not just have the foundation but also have a little representation of her. You know, what it means to me and hopefully for the family as well."
Chism is one of 24 active Patriots players who will wear custom cleats vs. the Giants. The Patriots rookie will use his platform to help amplify a cause that hits close to home for him, supporting family friends who suffered an unthinkable tragedy.
"Every year, it gets bigger and bigger. So, super glad to be a part of it and just be a little piece of the puzzle. It's been awesome," Chism added.
When the Patriots take the field in Week 13, Kaci, and Olaf, will be with Chism on the Gillette Stadium field on Monday night.
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