Living to Give

T.J. and Lauren Oshie
The couple’s fundraising efforts for Alzheimer’s research is all pro.

T.J. Oshie speaks loudest on the ice, but it’s difficult not to notice the work he and his wife, Lauren, are doing out of the limelight. The Capitals’ star winger saw his father diagnosed with the disease at 50 in 2012. “This [disease] resonates with me because my father and his sister had it, and I think when someone is affected by something that can be life-threatening, or life-changing, it hits you harder,” he says. “You become more aware, and you want to get involved as much as you can. I think we have an obligation and the right to be active in the community and should be proud of that obligation to give back.” Last summer, the Oshies participated in the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day campaign in honor of his father. The couple raised nearly $23,000 for the organization in less than a week—and the Oshies will continue to be involved with the association during the upcoming season, along with team initiatives like Courage Caps, Teammates for Kids and Hockey Fights Cancer. “DC-area residents have very big hearts, and it’s one of the biggest reasons we stayed here,” he says. “I learned this during The Longest Day campaign, where I spread the word through Twitter. The DC fans jumped on it, and we raised a lot more money than we originally targeted.”