The Lock Box has become a new tradition of the Holy Family Football Team this year. The story behind the Lock Box is based on a family’s love and their connection to Holy Family.

Audrey Lofgren was born on April 3rd, 2008. She was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth which progressively got worse with time. Audrey has an older sister,  Hailey (‘24), who goes to Holy Family, a younger brother who is in elementary school, and her parents are Christy and LeRoy; LeRoy is a football coach here at Holy Family. Audrey was a quadriplegic and could not talk because her brain cells did not fully develop. The Lofgrens had to learn what motions and random sounds meant when talking to her. 

After being hospitalized for five weeks, Audrey’s condition worsened and she was put on a BiPAP machine. Audrey passed away on April 12, 2021, at 11:14 a.m. Audrey’s brain was donated for research about cerebral palsy at Harvard. 

Hailey, Audrey’s sister, said, “My parents got to stay with her the whole time during the hospital stay, but because of COVID-19 me and my brother only got to see her over FaceTime until the day before her passing.” 

Audrey would go to the football games, sit on the sidelines and watch the boys play. The Holy Family football team made a Lock Box, which is present at every game, in memory of Audrey Lofgren. Each player on the team put an important item in the box, which represents the weight that Audrey had to feel every movement in her aching body. The letters “ALL” on the lock box stands for Audrey Lynn Lofgren. The box is also a symbol to the boys of how as a team they carry each other’s weight. This box is brought to every practice and game that the football team has.  

Captain Nick Charpentier said, “The Lock Box to me represents that everybody on the team has some weight that they have to carry, and as a team, we support each other. I put my first three football cubes in the box to signify this is my last year at Holy Family. Having Audrey’s memory on the field with us feels really good, and reinforces that we are not just a team but family as well. Carrying everyone’s important items involves a lot of trust, and I’m glad we have that our team has that trust in each other.”

The Lock Box and the story of Audrey and the Lofgren family brings a tradition full of love and dedication to the Holy Family football team.  The Lock Box will continue to honor her short but impactful life.