Brick Brothers Facing Homelessness Get Lift From Football Family

BRICK, NJ — From the time they were just entering their teens, Patrick and Tyler Giesler have worked as hard as anyone around — and harder than most kids their age.

"Pat and Tyler would come in from practice, shower and get dressed to go to work each night after practices and on the weekends," said Len Zdanowicz, the football coach at Brick Township High School. The brothers played football for Zdanowicz for four years, graduating in 2018.

Their work ethic was second to none, but it was born in part of necessity: the boys and their grandmother were battling homelessness. Now, that battle has become more difficult, after the boys' grandmother, Theresa Burke, died recently, leaving them on the verge of homelessness again.

"Patrick and Tyler Giesler are brothers who have had a lot of adversity in their lives, more than any boys should have to deal with," Zdanowicz wrote on a GoFundme campaign set up to help the brothers, who graduated in June 2018.

The boys, now 18 and 19, lost their father at a very young age. Losing one parent is hard enough, but the boys' biological mother abandoned them not long after their father's death. They were left in the care of Burke, whom they called "Mom," and their great-grandmother, Filomena Irons, to raise them.

The four lived together in a long-time family home near the Mantoloking Bridge until Superstorm Sandy struck, dstroying their home and all of their belongings. The home had to be sold at a loss because they had no means to rebuild. So the boys, Burke and Irons moved into a rental and lived off the Social Security checks that Burke and Irons received.

When Irons passed away about five years ago, the bottom fell out. The boys and Burke were evicted from the rental home. In the years since, they have bounced around to other rentals and to motels. Sometimes they lived out of Burke's minivan. Their most recent home has been Wenke's Motel in Point Pleasant.

All the while, the boys kept pushing, working jobs to help with the bills while going to high school and each playing three sports. Even with work and school, they never missed a session of lifting, training or high school sport practice for any of their teams, Zdanowicz said. Pat finished with six varsity letters and Tyler finished with four.

Shortly after the boys graduated from high school, Burke was diagnosed with cancer and had been in and out of the hospital before she recently died.

"(Patrick and Tyler) have been working full-time at Wendy’s," but Burke's passing has left them months behind on their rent at Wenke's. "They are currently trying to balance their college classes around their work schedule, and deal with the recent loss of 'Mom.' "

The Gielser brothers, who were finalists for the "Heart of a Giant" award in 2017, were always the hardest-working boys on their teams, he said. "They utilized their love of football and passion for the traditions of Brick Township athletics to stay the course," Zdanowicz told USA Football when he nominated the boys for the Heart of a Giant award.

"They are good, hard working boys in a very difficult time," he said on the GoFundme. "We are working with them, local county officials, and the food pantry. We are trying to get them into an apartment, where they can be better supported."

Monetary donations have poured in to help; more than $11,000 has been contributed to the GoFundme in less than 18 hours. So too have been offers of more than money.

"Keep us posted as to if there is anything else these young men need. Home-cooked meals, clothing, place to stay etc," one woman wrote on the GoFundme.

"I have teen boys and can donate clothing or if they need school supplies, food, gift cards? I would love to help more. Please let me know," another wrote.

If you've ever been to a Brick Dragons football game, that response isn't surprising. The word "family" isn't just a cliche with the Dragons; it is the culture, and it's visible in the alumni who line the field sporting decades of jackets, and in the support that has sustained more than a few alumni of the team and the school through difficult times.

"Sports create opportunities for people to turn tragedy into triumph," Tyler Giesler said on the Heart of a Giant award questionnaire in 2017, noting how the football team and the community had helped the brothers and "Mom" navigate those difficult times. "It's nice to know that you have an entire town who has your backs, and to be able to focus on something else for a few hours a day during practices and games."

The outpouring of help so far shows that support hasn't wavered.

"Brick sticks together," a different commenter wrote on the GoFundme.

"We are asking you to help these boys get their adult lives started off on the right foot," Zdanowicz wrote.

To donate, click here. You can contact Zdanowicz through the GoFundme campaign.

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Photo via GoFundme, a Patch promotional partner