02/07/2026
Laila Edwards, an Ohio native, started a GoFundMe to get her family to Italy for her Olympic debut on the U.S. women’s ice hockey team, and one large donation brought her family to the Milan Cortina Games.
“So we have a mutual friend of [the Kelce brothers], and he called me and he said, ‘Hey, did you get a large donation?’ And I said, ‘We did, anonymous.’ And he said, ‘Well, that was Travis,’” Charone Gray-Edwards, Laila Edwards’ mom, told NBC News.
While Gray-Edwards is celebrating her daughter’s historic journey to the Olympics, she doesn’t want people to lose sight of Laila’s skill.
“She’s an awesome hockey player, so I don’t want people to forget that part. But yes, it is a milestone. It’s an accomplishment that she’s the first Black woman, and we’re excited about that,” Gray-Edwards said.
