It was a short week for the New England Patriots, having just three days between games to prepare to play in primetime on Thursday night.
Still, with the holidays around the corner, a few players made time in one of their busiest weeks yet to ensure no kid feels forgotten about this season.
Week 14 started strong, with tight end Hunter Henry and offensive lineman Trent Brown hosting simultaneous parties at Gillette Stadium for an evening of crafts, dinner, gift-giving and more. For both players, it was important to invite children and families in or involved with the foster care system.
Henry's guests hailed from Communities for People's foster care program. Brown, meanwhile, extended the invite to 50 foster children and their families from the Massachusetts Society of the Prevention for Cruelty to Children.
"I always was searching for something to be able to touch somebody's life and be impactful, and I didn't know exactly what that was," Henry told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton. "I think when I had my son, that really opened my eyes to the foster care system."
The following day, linebacker Matthew Judon went into Boston for an event with Bridge Over Troubled Waters -- a local non-profit dedicated to effective and innovative services to runaway, homeless and high-risk youth.
After hosting a coat drive last year that turned into a karaoke fest, this year's event was hosted at Viva Karaoke & Studios.
"I just love singing," Judon said at the event. "It just calms my spirit and soul."
In working with Bridge Over Troubled Waters, he hopes to help provide that feeling for vulnerable youth in the Greater Boston Area.
"It's kind of the forgotten ages," Judon said after singing a Rihanna duet with a girl in the program.
"Once you hit puberty and until you're 18, you aren't a baby anymore. You aren't coddled. But Bridge Over Troubled Waters takes care of these kids. Around this time, a lot of people do stuff for the youth and infants, so I'm just trying to hit that age group and let them know they're not left out or forgotten. No one is overlooking them. People still care about them and they're our next working class, our next presidents, but it's about making sure all their needs are met while they're at this age.
