We’re now officially one week away from the start of Women’s Ice Hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. For 22-year-old Team USA standout Laila Edwards, accomplishing her dream of making the final roster was a feeling of pure jubilation, but also the unfortunate reality that her family may not be able to afford to see her live that dream in-person.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Women’s Hockey Tournament
For families of Team USA Olympians, flights and lodging are not paid for. In hockey, this creates a challenge mostly unique to women’s players who don’t make anywhere near what NHL Olympians do.
In a desperate plea to support her daughter, Laila’s mother, Charone Gray-Edwards, created a GoFundMe. The link stated:
“We want nothing more than to travel to Italy to support [Laila] in her Olympic dream! This just isn’t something that we can afford to do on our own. So many communities have supported Laila throughout her years of hockey. We are asking for your help now so that we can be there to cheer Laila, to surround her with the love and support of family.”
Quickly, the amount raised had grown by a whopping $10,000 all at once — thanks to ‘Anonymous’. Laila, who is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio just like the infamous Kelce brothers, was tipped off by a mutual friend that the donation was of their doing.
Following the publicity of that generous gesture, the GoFundMe continued to take off, as over 600 separate people donated an additional total of $59,000+. While the initial goal was just for her mother Charone and sister Chayla to be there, the generosity now allows her extended family to join as well: her dad Robert, her older brother Bobby, and her oldest sister Britney.
The donations were filled with comments that will bring a smile to your face, like this one from a fan named Maria: “I always wanted to be a pro hockey player but it wasn’t an option when I was growing up. Happy to see you succeed! I’m so excited times are changing AND especially for brown and black girls! I support you and your family! Let’s goooo!!”
“It was so cool,” said Laila. “I reached out, I thanked them, and we had a little conversation [over DMs]. It was really cool.”
Charone now plans to pay it forward: “With any excess funds, we hope to pay this forward by creating a nonprofit to support aspiring hockey players just as the community has supported Laila.“
With her family in attendance, Laila will be a big part of the U.S. Women’s pursuit of their third Gold Medal — and first since 2018. She currently has 36 points (8G, 28A) in 21 games for the University of Wisconsin.
They will first play on Thursday, Feb. 5 against Czechia (10:40 AM EST).
