Celebrating community contributions with Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide

A friend once told U.S. women’s soccer icon and philanthropist Lauren Holiday, “Cause creates community, but contribution creates belonging.” The sentiment guides Holiday and underlies why she is the namesake of an award that recognizes a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) player for outstanding service and character off the pitch.

That theme of purpose-driven service and community contribution was celebrated as Lauren and nominees of the 2024 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, gathered in Kansas City for a host of activities around NWSL Championship weekend.

The events began with the announcement of Bay FC defender Jen Beattie as winner of the recently revamped award. Beattie designated her Bay Area community partner, Pink Ribbon Good, as the beneficiary of the $30,000 award donation to support its mission to assist every person and family affected by breast and gynecological cancers.

A breast cancer survivor herself, Beattie was diagnosed at age 29 while playing soccer in the UK, far from family and friends. Following a six-week leave from the game for surgery, she entered remission. During this time, Beattie recognized a gap in awareness and education around breast cancer, which motivated her to use her platform as a professional athlete to promote early detection in both women and men.

Beattie continues to be an advocate, working with organizations to raise awareness, share her story, and support individuals facing similar challenges. Her dedication to this cause has helped bring visibility to the importance of health education, regular screenings, and support networks for those impacted by breast cancer.

When asked about being recognized for her efforts off the pitch, Beattie commented, “We’re footballers, but we do so much more than that. And that’s the impact that we can all have. Whether your platform is big or small, you can still help people.”  

Beattie, Holiday and several other award nominees also took time during Championship week to participate in an NWSL community event with Kansas City Current nominee AD Franch’s local partner, WeCode KC. 

The group learned about WeCode’s mission to provide youth in Kansas City’s urban core the opportunity to learn technology concepts and leadership skills, creating a pipeline of future-ready professionals through project-based learning and innovative programs. During the visit, the students engaged with the NWSL guests and demonstrated their coding, robotics and app creation prowess. 

The weekend was capped off with an on-field, halftime recognition of Jen, Lauren and other the nominees during the Championship match in which the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit to capture the club’s first title.

To learn more about the Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, visit NWSLsoccer.com.