‘On the field for a cause’

Come out and cheer for the moms at the third annual Mount Laurel Moms Powder Puff Football Game at Memorial Field at 235 Mount Laurel Road on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 9 a.m. The community flag football game supports breast cancer awareness and benefits Mentoring Strong Minds, a local nonprofit whose mission focuses on supporting mental health and emotional wellness through music, sports and community connection.

“We are on the field for a cause,” said event organizer Marie Sanders, the founder of Mentoring Strong Minds. “We all have a part to do. Our kids come out and we show them that teamwork works both on the field and off the field. We may not know the person – right now – who could be having a diagnosis with breast cancer, we may not know someone personally who committed suicide, we may not know someone who has a mental health challenge, but that’s how you bring awareness, by tackling it together.”

Sanders was introduced to Powder Puff five years ago in Montclair, New Jersey. Fast forward to 2024 when the first Mount Laurel Moms Powder Puff Football Game was held to support breast cancer awareness. In 2025, the moms decided to expand the game to also support suicide prevention and awareness. Expanding the game to include suicide prevention and mental health awareness gave the moms an opportunity to encourage conversations about struggles that too often go unspoken, Sanders shared. The moms want people to know they are supported, that asking for help is a sign of strength, and the community cares. Some of this year’s participants are new to flag football, but twice a week, everyone has been meeting at the field for practice, with help from a few local football coaches. Sanders is always eager to ask others if they want to participate, and now they’re ready to make it happen again. What she loves most about flag football is that it gets you moving.

“And the camaraderie of the moms just coming together to say, ‘You know what, we’re some bad bosses out here who are doing this and we’re doing it together,’ and our game is literally one hour, but in that hour it’s so impactful,” Sanders said. “I would like for the moms to take away the fact that the commitment that it takes – and moms are so busy – they didn’t just take time out for them, they took time out for somebody else.”

The moms who are playing may not have a direct link to the causes that the game is supporting, Sanders reiterated, but, again, the time and commitment that they took out to participate was for someone who they may never know. For Sanders, her connection to Powder Puff stems from bringing the mission of Mentoring Strong Minds to life while continuing to support breast cancer awareness. As a mom, she cares deeply about the well-being of children, families and the women who hold so much together.

“I want them to walk away feeling so proud that (they) were on the field that day, (they) helped fundraise and they were a part of whatever change was made for that particular time,” she said. “Once the ball takes the field, that one hour flies by so fast. We come out, we show up together and we all come together at the end of the game and celebrate together.”

The roster for the Oct. 24 game is set, but those interested in participating in a future Mount Laurel Moms Powder Puff Football Game do not have to be a mom or a Mount Laurel resident.