FEATURE  RELEASE      April  5,  2011                                Contact  Information                                    Jana  Tarleton,  President                                    Cell:  (706)  888-­‐0981                                        Email:  jana@gamedayforheroes.com  

 ALL  IN  THE  FAMILY  

The  Tarleton’s  are  “All  In”  for  Gameday  for  Heroes    

AUBURN,  Ala.  –  “I  have  got  to  start  making  a  profit,”  confessed  Jana  Tarleton,  founder  of  

Gameday  for  Heroes  and  president  of  the  Columbus/Phenix  City  Auburn  Club.  But  when  you  

hear  Jana  talk  about  her  passion  for  the  nonprofit  company  she  founded,  profits  do  not  

seem  to  be  what  she  really  cares  about.    

  Beginning  in  the  2009  football  season,  Jana  started  Gameday  for  Heroes.  The  mission  

is  to  “provide  U.S.  Military  who  were  wounded  or  injured  in  combat  action,  and  active  duty  

Military  Personnel  with  free  tickets  to  collegiate  sporting  events.”  

  What  started  as  a  one-­‐woman  dream  is  now  becoming  a  national  organization  with  

sponsored  games  at  schools  across  the  country.    

  But  Jana  hasn’t  been  alone  in  her  endeavors.  Her  two  daughters,  Hannah,  14,  and  

Mattie  Alan,  10  are  as  “involved  with  Gameday  for  Heroes  as  much  as  they  can  be  at  their  

age,”  said  Jana.    

  “I  thought  it  was  a  good  idea,”  said  Hannah  about  first  learning  of  her  mom’s  idea.  “It  

was  one  of  those,  ‘I  can’t  believe  I  didn’t  think  about  that!’  things,  except  she  did  think  about  

it.”  

 

  Hannah  and  Mattie  Alan  have  had  some  military  influence  in  their  lives.  Throughout  

their  early  childhood,  they  spent  Auburn  game  days  tailgating  with  a  man  they  call  “Mr.  

Ike,”  who  is  currently  in  the  Navy.    

  They  were  even  flower  girls  at  his  wedding  at  the  U.S.  Naval  Academy.  

  Mattie  Alan  is  also  close  with  a  sharp  shooter  named  Bill  Keever.  She  is  best  friends  

with  Keever’s  daughter  and  fondly  remembers  going  to  Five  Guys  in  Auburn  the  week  

before  he  went  to  Afghanistan.    

  The  Tarleton  girls  started  attending  Auburn  football  games  before  they  can  

remember,  but  Hannah  and  Mattie  Alan  always  remember  Mr.  Ike.  Hannah  remembers  

throwing  the  football  around  with  Mr.  Ike  and  climbing  trees.    

  “I  used  to  laugh  because  the  little  boy  who  always  sat,  and  still  sits,  in  front  of  us  

managed  to  sleep  through  part  of  the  games,”  said  Hannah.  Even  though  she  didn’t  

understand  what  was  going  on  all  the  time,  Hannah  always  paid  attention.  

  Halftime  is  Hannah’s  favorite  part  of  the  game.  Mattie  Alan  loves  seeing  the  football  

players  in  the  famous  “Tiger  Walk”  that  happens  before  each  game.  The  players,  

cheerleaders,  band  members  and  Aubie  (the  mascot)  parade  from  their  locker  room  to  the  

stadium,  and  pass  right  by  the  Gameday  for  Heroes  tailgate.    

  “I  am  also  friends  with  some  of  the  cheerleaders  and  Tiger  Paws  at  Auburn,  and  

some  of  the  football  players,”  said  Mattie  Alan.    

  Getting  the  girls  involved  with  Gameday  for  Heroes  is  as  big  of  a  passion  for  Jana  as  

Auburn  football.    

  “I  want  to  set  an  example  for  them,”  said  Jana.  “I  want  them  to  realize  that  everyday  

things  we  take  for  granted  can  be  taken  away  from  us  because  of  senseless  acts  like  9/11.”  

 

  The  girls  are  always  excited  to  help.  Both  assist  their  mom  in  setting  up  the  tailgate  

and  playing  with  the  soldiers’  kids.  “We  talk  about  everything  from  Auburn  in  general,  to  

shoes  and  skateboards,”  said  Hannah.  

  Both  girls  enjoy  spending  time  with  the  soldiers  and  their  families  at  the  tailgates.  

“They  have  a  lot  of  fun  and  it  is  great  to  watch  and  think  that  they  risked  their  lives  to  we  

could  be  here,  and  now  they  get  to  enjoy  it  too,”  said  Hannah.  

  Mattie  Alan  plans  to  continue  helping  even  though  the  football  season  is  over.  “I  am  

going  to  help  my  mom  with  the  office  work  and  make  a  scrapbook  of  all  the  soldiers  that  

come  to  the  tailgate,”  she  said.  “I  am  going  to  make  sure  we  have  all  of  their  contact  

information  and  a  picture  of  them  for  a  scrapbook  starting  this  football  season.”  

  “Mom  is  so  on  top  of  things  for  basketball  and  baseball  seasons,”  said  Hannah.  “She  

doesn’t  need  me  this  year.”  

  One  of  the  biggest  ways  the  girls  have  helped  this  year  was  with  a  “Uniform  Day”  at  

their  school,  St.  Luke  in  Columbus,  Ga.  Usually,  the  students  are  required  to  wear  uniforms,  

but  the  Tarleton’s  used  that  rule  to  have  a  fundraiser.  

  “We  had  to  ask  our  headmaster  if  we  could  wear  our  favorite  college  team’s  T-­‐shirt  

or  sweatshirt  by  donating  $1  and  the  money  was  donated  to  Gameday  for  Heroes,”  said  

Mattie  Alan.  “I  got  to  go  make  announcements  to  advertise  the  fundraiser  and  tell  people  

about  Gameday  for  Heroes.”  They  raised  more  than  $350.  

  The  girl’s  hope  to  get  a  solider  to  speak  at  their  school  for  next  year’s  fundraiser.  

  Jana  clearly  puts  the  drive  into  her  girls.  They  both  want  to  help  out  with  Gameday  

for  Heroes  in  the  next  seasons  and  when  they  get  older.    

 

  “I  know  my  mom  is  really  passionate  about  Auburn  and  our  military,  so  this  

(Gameday  for  Heroes)  is  the  perfect  thing  for  her”  said  Hannah.  “She  gets  to  hang  out  with  

all  of  the  servicemen  who  basically  risk  their  lives  to  let  us  go  to  these  games.  She  feels  that  

they  should  get  to  come  to  these  games  too,  and  basically  reap  the  harvest  of  their  toils.”  

  Mattie  Alan  hopes  to  follow  in  her  mother’s  future  and  go  to  Auburn  for  college.  

She’s  interested  in  fashion,  but  hasn’t  decided  what  she  wants  to  do  yet.  

  “Hannah  should  go  to  Harvard,”  said  Jana.  “Sometimes  she  says  words  even  I  have  to  

look  up  in  the  dictionary.”  

  “I  honestly  don’t  know  yet  (where  I  want  to  go  to  school),”  said  Hannah.  “I  am  

hoping  to  be  a  teacher,  or  maybe  a  marine  biologist.”  

  Depending  on  what  Hannah  decides  to  major  in,  she’ll  “maybe”  go  to  Auburn.  “It  is  

close  to  home  and  I  am  already  at  home  on  the  campus,  plus  there  is  an  amazing  veterinary  

school,”  she  said.    Either  way,  Gameday  for  Heroes  has  made  an  impact  on  the  girls.    

  “I  want  them  to  understand  that  we  are  at  war  even  if  it  isn’t  being  fought  on  our  

soil,  and  men  and  women  join  the  military  by  choice  to  protect  the  freedom  of  the  citizens  

of  the  United  States,”  said  Jana.  “Most  importantly,  I  want  them  to  know  that  you  don’t  have  

to  be  wealthy  or  in  a  high  level  position  to  make  a  difference  in  someone’s  life.”  

  Gameday  for  Heroes  is  a  non-­‐profit  organization  that  strives  to  provide  wounded  

and  active  military  with  opportunities  to  see  collegiate  sporting  events.  Beginning  in  2009,  

Gameday  for  Heroes  has  extended  to  multiple  campuses  and  several  sports  including  

football,  basketball  and  baseball.      

 

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