For years, Laila Edwards chased her Olympic dream far from home, leaving Cleveland Heights at 13 to pursue elite hockey opportunities that would shape her into one of the brightest stars in the sport. Now, thanks to an outpouring of community support — and a boost from hometown sports icons Travis and Jason Kelce — her family will be there to witness it all in person.
According to 21Alive, a GoFundMe campaign launched after Edwards was named to the U.S. women’s hockey roster for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics has raised more than $59,000, surpassing its $50,000 goal. The funds will allow up to 14 family members to travel to Italy for Edwards’ Olympic debut next week.
“It wasn’t easy,” her mother, Charone Gray-Edwards, said of missing many of her daughter’s formative years as Edwards trained out of state. “I was going to find words to describe the gratitude and appreciation. But I haven’t yet.”
Edwards’ father, Robert Edwards, echoed the sentiment.
“We’re humbled by it,” he said.
Among the most notable supporters were Cleveland natives and NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce, who donated $10,000 to the campaign. Travis Kelce also reached out personally to Edwards to offer encouragement.
“He was just saying everyone’s got my back and that he’s rooting for me,” Edwards said. “They didn’t have to do that, but they did, and I’m really grateful.”
Edwards, who turned 22 on Sunday, is considered a future cornerstone of U.S. women’s hockey. A forward-turned-defender, she stands 6-foot-1 and combines size, speed and playmaking ability. She will also make history in Milan Cortina as the first Black female hockey player to represent the United States at the Olympics.
Though much of her development took place away from Ohio — first at Bishop Kearney Selects Academy in Rochester, New York, then at the University of Wisconsin, where she is completing her senior season with the top-ranked Badgers — Edwards said her Cleveland roots have always grounded her.
“Cleveland is my home, and it means everything to me,” she said. Her U.S. teammates even dubbed her the “Queen of Cleveland” after a U.S.-Canada game played there in November.
For Edwards, having her family in attendance makes the moment even more meaningful.
“Obviously my name’s on the roster, but I feel like my whole family made it to the Olympics,” she told The Associated Press. “All the sacrifices they’ve made — my parents, my siblings — for them to get to come and share the experience is going to be really special.”
Gray-Edwards said she has been moved by donations from strangers as much as from well-known athletes.
“I was in Wisconsin this weekend and people were coming up to me saying, ‘I didn’t have much, but I donated,’” she said. “Every dollar counted. Every dollar.”
The family plans to use any remaining funds to give back, potentially through providing hockey equipment or free ice time for young players.
“We really want to honor the money that’s been given to us,” Edwards said.
For a Cleveland Heights kid who grew up cheering LeBron James and the Kelce brothers, the support from home has turned an Olympic dream into a full-circle moment — one she’ll now share with the people who helped make it possible.
