Greg Olsen is one of the most beloved former members of the Carolina Panthers and still makes his home here in Charlotte. Click here to watch an exclusive interview with WBTV!
The Greg Olsen Foundation and the HEARTest Yard are proud to be a part of Harris Teeter’s Health Partner Round Up Campaign!
From January 25th until April 4th, customers in all NC and SC stores will be able to “Round Up” their total at checkout as a donation to Harris Teeter’s Health charity partners – including the HEARTest Yard!
So, the next time you’re grocery shopping, we invite you to please join us in “Rounding Up” at the register to help heart families!
****SOLD OUT******
Fox Sports Analyst & Carolina Panthers legend, Greg Olsen is hosting his upcoming charity event at Steak 48 to support the HEARTest Yard initiative.
The HEARTest Yard “UnGala” will take place 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, February 27 at Charlotte’s hottest restaurant, Steak 48. The celebrity-studded guest list will look forward to a cocktail reception and full three-course meal prepared by Steak 48, plus fine wine, and silent auction.
100% of donations from the event will go to The HEARTest Yard program, a part of the Receptions for Research 501(c)(3), which supports families of children with congenital heart disease like Olsen’s son T.J. treated at Levine Children’s Hospital here in Charlotte. For more information on sponsorships, email Molly Ansbro at mansbro@r4r.org.
Last year’s inaugural event raised $223,461 and featured a guest list including: Christian McCaffrey, Thomas Davis, Jeff Gordon, Luke Kuechly, Jonathan & Natalie Stewart, J.J. Jansen, Gene Woods, Jose Armario and Dovy Klarberg of Diamonds Direct. Media inquiries can contact nikki@yellowduckmarketing.com or julianne@yellowduckmarketing.com.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QC Life) – Greg Olsen, beloved former Carolina Panthers tight end and now sports commentator, still makes his home here in Charlotte.
Olsen and his wife Kara will host the HEARTest Yard Ungala at Steak 48 on Feb. 27.
WBTV and QC Life’s Kristen Miranda sat down with Olsen to talk about the bigger impact of the gala and his foundation’s mission.
Every dollar raised that night will benefit the work Olsen’s foundation does for families of children with congenital heart disease, just like their son TJ, who underwent a heart transplant in 2021.
Olsen said his son recently asked to meet his heart donor and they are waiting to hear back.
Last year, Christian McCaffrey, Thomas Davis, Jeff Gordon, Luke Kuechly, Jonathan & Natalie Stewart were all there.
The Party: Pro athletes, musicians, and other celebrities arrived at the Kiawah Island Club’s River Course for the first annual golf tournament for HEARTest Yard, a Charlotte based health-care support program created by former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and his wife, Kara, for families of babies born with congenital heart disease. On Sunday night, guests mingled at the clubhouse before a live auction and concert featuring Hootie & the Blowfish’s Mark Bryan and Ed Roland of Collective Soul. On Monday, more celebs—including former NBA player Muggsy Bogues and NFL broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt—teed off on the picturesque River Course. The event raised more than $300,000, helping HEARTest Yard expand to the Lowcountry and provide support for families with patients treated at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
Highlight: Mark Bryan starting off Sunday night’s concert with a $5,000 donation
Overheard: “We allow families to bring home their children who are healthy enough to leave the hospital, but still need some extra hands and help.” —Greg Olsen
Beneficiary: HEARTest Yard program at MUSC’s Children’s Health Pediatric & Congenital Heart Center
Once again in 2022, Greg Olsen and his family went to the Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital to visit with patients and distribute his beanie. This year’s version will be available for purchase at the team store at Sunday’s game with proceeds going to benefit the hospital and their important work.
Olsen helped raise money for his foundation for childhood heart medical funding by hosting a workout event at the Atrium Health Dome.
Olsen helped raise money for his foundation for childhood heart medical funding by hosting a workout event at the Atrium Health Dome.
At 11 months old, little Jim Leitner is a fighter.
His battle began before he was born when doctors discovered he had a heart defect. Its continued with two open heart surgeries in the first two months of his life.
Through it all, the Leitner family has found support to lean on courtesy of a former Carolina Panthers player.
“There definitely were moments in the hospital where I felt paralyzed as a mom,” Sarah Leitner told Channel 9′s DaShawn Brown. “There was nothing I could do, but then I remembered God is still bigger than this. … I couldn’t have handled this alone, but he gave us Levine (Children’s Hospital), he gave us the HEARTest Yard.”
READ MORE: Former Panthers Kuechly, Olsen pass knowledge as coaches in youth football
Retired NFL tight end Greg Olsen and his wife, Kara, created the nonprofit which has grown to include the annual FitFest fundraiser. The Olsen’s own son, T.J., has recently celebrated one year with a new heart after suffering from his own defect.
“When I look back 10 years ago, the amount of people, family, friends, but then strangers (who offered support),” Greg said. Now, to be able to have other families add us to that list of support at the HEARTest Yard, I know that when they’re building an army of people around them. the HEARTest Yard is one component to that.”
HEARTest Yard offers various free healthcare services to families with children who have a congenital heart disease.
This year’s FitFest is Thursday at the Atrium Health Dome at Bank of America Stadium. The foundation has a fundraising goal of $88,000. Anyone can sign up here.
By Alex Malloy for The Island Connection
Kiawah Island Club – and its owners, South Street Partners – were honored to partner with member and friend, Greg Olsen, and his family to host the inaugural HEARTest Yard Celebrity Classic on June 5 and 6 at the Club’s Tom Fazio-designed River Course. The event raised $300,000, 100% of which will go towards funding the expansion of this incredible pediatric cardiovascular foundation’s services to patients and families in the Charleston Region in partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina (“MUSC”). Greg Olsen will be on hand at an event on Aug. 15 to present the event proceeds to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
Under the auspices of Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC, former Carolina Panthers tight end, Greg Olsen, and his wife Kara established the HEARTest Yard program in 2012 after their son, T.J., was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
Founded to fill a tremendous need for families of babies born with congenital heart disease, the HEARTest Yard provides healthcare support and services to ease the transition from the hospital to home. Through a partnership between Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation and Atrium Health Foundation, the HEARTest Yard Fund offers a range of services, including in-home private nursing care, physical therapy, and speech therapy, at no charge to families. The program ultimately aims to help prevent children’s complications from congenital heart disease and improve their long-term health. In December 2020, the Olsen family opened The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center at Levine Children’s Hospital to provide comprehensive medical care to cardiac patients from birth through adulthood. In its first year of operation, more than 25,000 patients received treatment in the heart center. The services provided by The HEARTest Yard program will soon also be offered at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. “At South Street, we believe that one of life’s greatest investments is time. The most priceless of course is time spent with loved ones and we are humbled that Greg and his family have utilized Kiawah Island for just that over the years. After learning more about T.J.’s story and the HEARTest Yard program, we knew that this was the perfect place to expand their efforts. We hope everyone who participated will return year after year to help us support the HEARTest Yard,” said Will Culp, Partner, South Street Partners. The program currently serves the greater Charlotte community but as the foundation grows – and the needs of the Carolinas grow – the HEARTest Yard and South Street Partners were inspired to help heart babies and their families being treated at the world class MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. MUSC and South Street have enjoyed a long-time partnership and the goal of this inaugural event was to expand this already valuable working relationship by bringing the HEARTest Yard to Charleston to help impact local children as well.
In 2021, South Street donated six acres of land to MUSC to meet an identified need for medical services in the Sea Islands and bring a world-class emergency medical facility for those in the community. There will also be a first of its kind in-house medical clinic operated by MUSC Health at Seafields at Kiawah Island, the first 62+ luxury life plan community at Kiawah opening in 2024 besides Freshfields Village.
