Former NFL player set to speak at ‘Circle of Friends’ event

OAKLAND COUNTY — For 28 years, CARE House of Oakland County has hosted its annual Circle of Friends Luncheon as a way to raise awareness of the nonprofit’s mission to protect children by preventing, intervening and treating child abuse and neglect.

This year, Gaelin Elmore, a former NFL and Big Ten football player and abuse survivor, will share his story and educate the public on ways they can help local children in need.

“I think it’s important for the community to know and understand that abuse of children occurs regardless of your socioeconomic status, your geography, your race, your ethnicity; none of those are real factors in abuse,” Blythe Tyler, the president and CEO of CARE House of Oakland County, said. “I think it’s important to bring to light that there are people from all walks of life that experience abuse and can come out the other side like Gaelin has.”

Elmore grew up in a struggling household as the youngest of five children. He spent 10 years in the foster care system and experienced abuse.

When Elmore’s father was arrested in 2012, his life was changed when his high school football coach opened up his home to him and provided a sense of acceptance and belonging.

He went on to graduate high school and accepted a football scholarship with the University of Minnesota.

Three years later, he graduated with a degree in communications.

After a year of grad school, Elmore signed to play with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, Elmore is a husband and father and works to create environments of belonging for vulnerable populations.

At the Circle of Friends Luncheon, Elmore plans to emphasize the importance of community members “doing the things that are available to them in the roles that they play.”

While opening up a home to a child in need is one way to help, he said that it is not the only way.

“The reality is, kids and families don’t need all of those things from everybody,” Elmore said. “They need that from a select few, but they also need people who are just going to be a caring neighbor, a caring lunch lady or janitor. From my story, there’s so many different people who just did what was asked of them in the moment, and it made such a big difference.”.

The fundamental human need of belonging is a topic that Elmore feels very passionate about, based on his own experiences.

While he agrees that it is important for safety to be a priority when thinking about the care of a child who has experienced abuse and neglect, he said, “It is not the entire solution.”

Elmore shared that it is important to seek a safe environment and address other needs with connection and relationship in mind. In his situation, he said when his relational needs were met, he was able to accept the support he was getting in other areas.

More of Elmore’s story, perspective and mission will be shared during his speech at the CARE House of Oakland County’s Circle of Friends event.

“We want to make sure that people know and understand that building resilience and providing coping mechanisms to kids when they do experience abuse is a positive thing, is something that’s really important, and can be shown through all the work and all the things that Gaelin has accomplished in his life,” Tyler said.

Tickets start at $125 to attend the event. It will take place at The Townsend Hotel, located at 100 Townsend St. in Birmingham on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, call CARE House at 248-332-7173 ext. 206 or visit carehouse.org.