Mission Moment: Cade, Mom Smiling Again

Cade and his mom lost their smiles with the passing of U.S. Marine Corp Sgt. Brandon B., a pillar of the family as a father and husband.

Shortly after, Angels of America’s Fallen stepped in by enrolling Cade into its program and he chose football as an activity to pursue. And slowly, those smiles returned.

After the 2020 football season was cancelled due to the pandemic, Cade returned to the gridiron with newfound passion in 2021.

“It was so nice to see Cade able to get back to something he loved after the season being cancelled in 2020,” Cade’s mom wrote.

But Cade’s return to football was a fun challenge as he played both sides of the ball. He also executed big plays on special teams in the biggest moments of the game.

“Cade has always been an offensive lineman, but they also tried him out on defense last year and he loved it!” Cade’s mom wrote. “He ended up playing both sides and the majority of every game.”

Cade’s expanded role on his team produced many memorable moments, creating smiles for himself and his mother. One such smile came after leading his underdog team to a big win over a great team. Cade blocked a punt leading to a safety. He made an even bigger play on special teams in the final seconds by blocking an extra point to give his team a 1-point victory.

“The smile he had after that game is priceless!” his mom wrote. “As a mom, there is no better feeling than seeing your child achieve something they worked so hard for.”

Because of the generosity of community partners and people like you, we are able to provide support for children of Fallen military personnel and first responders to participate in developmental activities. Children of the Fallen are at risk for dropping out of school, turning to drugs and alcohol, and are at an even higher risk for committing suicide.

Yet, supporting Cade and other Angels through activities is only a small part of their enrollment. Like other enrolled children and families, Angels also supports Cade and his mom with trauma-informed client-centered case management, peer support, outreach and referrals to go with Cade’s activity of choice in promoting mental resiliency. Angels is with the family each step of the way until the child turns 19.

Join us in honoring the long-term commitment Angels of America’s Fallen makes to children of the Fallen. If you are interested in donating or learning more about our organization, visit https://aoafallen.org/donate.