Director’s Message, February 2026
By Founder Annie B. Carter
Life is never a straight line. We all experience moments of joy and heartbreak, clarity and doubt, success and failure. I believe what defines us most is how we respond when life doesn’t go as planned. It is how we show up for our families, how we care for our communities, and how we choose to keep living life with meaning and purpose, even when the road becomes difficult.
Recently, I reread the message Holden shared at my father’s funeral. He titled his remarks “The Lessons We Learned From Poppie.” In those words, Holden spoke about the importance of family, of community, and of living a life rooted in love and values that extend far beyond ourselves.
Reading his words now, I’m struck by how deeply those lessons from my father shaped the man Holden was trying hard to become—and how they continue to guide me today.
After losing my son, I made a promise to him—to continue living a life of meaning and purpose. Did I hope to honor him in ways that would help people remember him? Absolutely. But more than that, I wanted to create a way for Holden to continue touching lives, even though he was no longer here. That promise lives on through the people he saved as an organ donor, through the work of the Goal 13 Foundation, and through the Holden Trent Memorial Scholarship at High Point University. Each reflects who Holden was and the man he was becoming.
February is often marked by Valentine’s Day—a celebration of love expressed through flowers, cards, and thoughtful words and gestures. All of it is meaningful; however, I believe this month gives us an opportunity to look beyond those typical gestures and reflect on what love in action truly looks like. How do we show love to our community? How do we invest in young people? How do we carry forward the life lessons we’ve been given? Living with purpose doesn’t require us to be perfect—it just means that we live each day to the fullest showing love and care for those around us through our words and actions.
To the supporters of Goal 13, your generosity of time, donations and encouragement is love at work. You are choosing to invest in character, mentorship, education, and young lives that are still being shaped in and out of athletics. You are helping Holden’s spirit continue to touch people in this world and helping create ripples of impact that reach far beyond any one, singular moment.
This February, let’s all reflect on the ways we show love; not just to those closest to us, but to our community. Let’s all try to honor those we love by living with purpose and find meaningful ways to show that love everyday.