As the weather warms up in New England, offseason training activities bring a new Patriots team together.
Thanks to tight end Hunter Henry, a group of teens in foster care are experiencing a new beginning of their own.
For the second-straight year, Henry and his wife, Parker, hosted more than 40 kids in the foster care system at Gillette Stadium on Monday, gifting each of them a brand-new Guardian bicycle. Patriots players Drake Maye, Mack Hollins, and Efton Chism III also showed up to help support their teammate's initiative and uplift National Foster Care Awareness Month.
"Me and my wife have been coming together with Communities for People — a foster care organization that helps out foster care kids in the area in Providence and Boston," Hunter said.
"We've been working with them on different things over the last four or five years. We're just giving kids some bikes today to allow them to meet up with friends, play, and get outside which is just so important to your childhood. It's pretty cool to have something as simple as a bike bring so much joy to a kid."
Children invited fell in the 14-18 age range, as the event aimed to raise awareness about older youth in the foster care system.
While younger children tend to be the first placed with foster families, older teens can sometimes fall through the cracks, with no stable support system guiding them in such vulnerable years.
According to the National Foster Youth Institute, one-in-five 18-year-olds instantly become homeless once they age out of foster care.
"Older youth are often the 'invisible' population in foster care, yet they are the ones most in need of a loud voice and a steady hand as they transition to adulthood," said Craig Gordon, President and CEO of Communities for People.
"We are calling on the community to step up and be the family these resilient teens deserve — to ensure they are not just seen and heard but supported."
In partnership with United Healthcare and the Hilb Group, the Henry family ensured each teen went home with a Guardian Bike to help them gain independence and access transportation to school or jobs.
In honor of Mother's Day, Parker made sure each foster and group home mother received flowers as a token of appreciation.
"Giving back to these kids is everything to Parker and me," Henry said.
"As parents ourselves, we're just grateful to help these families get outside, stay active, and have some fun. We're pumped to be out here at the stadium today to show these young people some love and help them kick off their own journey with these new bikes."
