NFL Safety Takes 11 Year Old Fan to Daddy Daughter Dance

Audrey Soape, 11, lost her father and grandfather last year and was feeling sad about the upcoming daddy-daughter dance at her church in Round Rock, Texas. Audrey’s mom, Holly, wanted to do something special for her daughter, so she reached out to their favorite NFL player, Anthony Harris, to ask if he would take Audrey to the dance and Harris said yes.

Holly said she knew it was a far-fetched idea to ask “I just asked if he would come—if he’d be willing to come. And he said, ‘not only will I come, I want to make sure she feels like a princess.”
Harris of the Philadelphia Eagles covered the cost of Audrey’s dress, shoes, hair, and makeup and traveled to Texas to escort his young fan to her daddy-daughter dance.

The Philadelphia Eagles safety and Audrey’s mother aren’t exactly strangers. Harris said Holly often reached out to him on social media through The Anthony Harris Foundation to ask how her family could pray for him. “Asking if I need any prayers through transitions,” he said. “It was really just them opening their arms.”

Holly, a mom of two, said in an interview that she was so anxious and excited for her daughter because she just had the most terrible year. “For someone to show up and to teach her that people do show up for you, it’s just been beyond a blessing. Just the power of God and how he makes these situations happen has just been unbelievable and remarkable.”

Holly wrote an Instagram post about the evening. “Through the grace of God, and amazing generosity of the Anthony Harris Foundation, my girl got escorted by her favorite Philadelphia Eagles player Anthony Harris. From start to finish, this evening was made magical, starting with him getting her the dress and shoes of her dreams.”

Holly wrote that Harris was so kind and so sweet, making the entire evening a fairy tale, the smile never left her daughter’s face. Harris said “You’ve got to cherish these moments. You never know how long we have here on this earth. The people that you care about and the people you love, show support for them.”

Harris started the nonprofit, The Anthony Harris Foundation with the mission to empower youth through sports, education, and mentorship. Harris said his goal is to give kids the same opportunities he had growing up. The foundation has provided meal distributions holiday gift drives in the Philadelphia community. Through several partnerships he has blessed foster families with Holiday meals and Christmas presents.