NFL's Anthony Harris takes Texas girl to daddy-daughter dance
ROUND ROCK, Texas - After losing both her father and grandfather within the same five weeks last year, 11-year-old Audrey Soape didn’t know who she was going to go to her church’s daddy-daughter dance with. Audrey's mom Holly, on the other hand, had it all figured out and invited Audrey’s favorite football player to escort her- Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris.
"I’ve been a fan of him for a long time," said Audrey. "And he moved to the Eagles. Of course, I miss him on the Vikings, but I rooted for the Eagles this year since he was playing on the Eagles."
Inviting a professional athlete to a dance seems like a farfetched idea for most, but Holly says she and Harris started communicating through Instagram two years ago, and they’ve kept casual contact since.
"He's been a big supporter of me and the kids, we'd never met him though. So it was sort of just like- we just had talked to him through social media," Holly said. "So when I reached out about this, I asked if it was something he would be willing to do, and surprisingly enough he kind of jumped at it, and he said yes."
Harris flew out to Texas to take Audrey to the dance, and he even set her up with a makeup artist, hairstylist, and dress for the big night.
"I felt super special, and it just kind of felt like special treatment for me," Audrey said. "And it was kind of enjoyable to just sit back and let all this stuff happen."
For Holly, the best part was seeing someone show up for her daughter.
"Just to have somebody support her, show up for her, just be kind to her- and he really was, he was incredible the entire time. He was really personable, he made sure she felt comfortable, he was making her laugh, he was dancing with her on the dance floor," said Holly.
"This was all something I think he really wanted to do, and I could tell that he enjoyed himself too. It was pretty nice for her to see that and get that special treatment," Holly added.
When asked about what this experience showed her, Audrey said it proves that anyone and everyone can do something nice for others.
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