‘Very emotional,’ why Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. chose PTSD Foundation of America Camp Hope for My Cause, My Cleats

HOUSTON – For Texans star defensive end Will Anderson Jr., his meeting with military service veterans at Camp Hope inspired him to honor them and their families.

The PTSD Foundation of America is a nonprofit organization launched two decades ago to provide hope and healing to veterans and their families suffering from the effects of combat-related post-traumatic stress.

Many of these veterans have committed or attempted suicide. Many of them have or are currently dealing with addiction and pain. Camp Hope was established 13 years ago as a housing facility that includes Warrior Group meetings, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and a unit for hosting family integration programs along with a 24-hour crisis hotline.

“I really liked it,” Anderson said. “It was really cool. To be able to go there and see somebody else’s perspective, it was really great.”

Anderson is wearing specially-designed football cleats Thursday night during a game against the Buffalo Bills for the annual My Cause, My Cleats initiative.

“I loved them,” Anderson said. “You could see the logo. They exceeded my expectation. They had everything I wanted on there, like the definition of hope.”

In partnership with American National Insurance, the Texans and Anderson, there is a shared mission to benefit veterans healing from the rigors of war.

“Just being a man of faith, it was cool,” Anderson said. “It was very emotional, because sometimes we look at our lives and be like, ‘Man, this is so hard.’ You listen to somebody else that may be losing their family, that can’t see their kids and everything like that, going through addiction, and you’re like, ‘Man, the stuff that we go through is nothing compared to what these guys who have fought for our country and fought for us and our freedom and everything like that they’re going through.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com