Kindness is like sunshine after a dark rain. The Briscoe family were at the receiving end of an exceptional neighborly support from members of the Tumwater football team. The story will end with a rainbow, but it begins with a series of unfortunate events.
Briscoe Family Faces Difficult Times
“My family has been through the ringer over the last 22 month,” says Eden Briscoe. It started with a plumbing related flood and shortly thereafter a fire in their house, both in the spring of 2023, which displaced them from their home. Then grave health issues showed up with two family members. In May of 2024, while the reconstructed home was getting a new roof, it rained. Water poured through the wide-open roof and into the entire house. It was a mess of epic proportions, requiring major renovations and more time.
Adding insult to injury, the extra expenses meant there was Christmas without a tree or gifts. Vacations were cancelled. Their younger son qualified for the USATF National Junior Olympics for two summers in a row but sending him was unaffordable.
The Briscoes do have family and support systems in Texas, which is not so accessible when living in Washington. Eden’s husband, David, works at JBLM and is currently deployed in Korea. Eden also works for the federal government at the VA.
Finally, after much work, waiting, and inspections, approval was received to move back into their home. All their possessions needed to be moved from their rental home and a storage space in Tacoma to their home in Tumwater.
Tumwater Football Team Steps Up to Help Briscoe Family
The Briscoes older son Tyler plays on the Tumwater football team. Coach “Willie” Garrow knows Eden, and when he heard the family needed a little help with the move, he didn’t hesitate. “She mentioned she got approval to move back in,” says Garrow. “We have a great group of graduating seniors, and I reached out to them first.”
Not only did several make commitments to help, but they were also able to procure a truck, van, SUV and a car. The move date was set for Martin Luther King Day, a school holiday. “Two young men even had a basketball game in Vancouver that evening,” recalls Eden. They all showed up.
The group of driving seniors met at the storage facility in Tacoma, loaded everything and drove it to Tumwater. That same morning, the rest of the football team had practice. Garrow asked for volunteers from those students and an additional crew agreed to help that afternoon. They would move things from the rental house to the newly refurbished Briscoe home. “We divided and conquered. We converged on the new home and moved it all into the house,” says Garrow.
Thank You, Coach Garrow and Players
“In true lead by example, coach William Garrow and his young son showed up, and he helped communicate, delegate, and ensure my family and the young men were supported. In return for their hard work and kindness, not one young man expected or accepted payment, credit for volunteer hours or anything tangible,” notes Eden. She did, however, provide food, which was gratefully accepted.
“They made light work of our belongings and helped my family avoid another month of rent fees (on top of our mortgage), another month of storage fees and helped us avoid the fee of having our stored items delivered. All-in-all, they saved my family approximately $4200 and showed us that we are not alone,” she gratefully recalls.
“Tumwater ‘Winning’ Football is indeed a special program but not just because they win. They are special because of how the coaches love those football players and their families, how the coaches develop these athletes into men, and because of the high bar they set for leadership, accountability, family and selflessness,” continues Eden.
“It is a good thing for our kids to do. The program at Tumwater High is about service, community and family. The kids know that’s what we do,” adds Garrow.
Eden adds that her family is not from this area and has no generational loyalties to the school. She is proud that her sons are T-Birds. Younger son Cameron will be in high school next year. This experience deepened her connections to the community. “I can truly say that I am proud to be a T-Bird family and a citizen of Tumwater,” says Eden.
Helping others and connecting with others in your neighborhood and community make a positive difference for everyone involved.
