By Kimberly Wilson ·Updated February 3, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Super Bowl LX is taking over San Francisco this week.
And more than the game itself, football fans are ready for the parties, the commercials, the halftime show (aka the “Benito Bowl”) and obviously all the celebrities who’ll be descending on the city. It’s a weekend of fun and celebration, yes, but there’s meaningful work happening too. And perhaps some of the most meaningful of them all, is when Off The Field NFL Wives Association will host its annual charity fashion show, and this year the proceeds go straight to Bay Area organizations doing real work in the community.
This year’s fashion show benefits Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, and the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic. Tenisha Patterson Brown, a sports attorney, business consultant, and wife of former NFL defensive end Everette Brown, is the organization’s president, and extremely clear about why these partnerships matter. “When the Super Bowl comes to town, it brings global attention—but we believe that attention should ultimately benefit the people who call that city home,” she says. “Supporting youth development and women’s health organizations in the Bay Area felt not only appropriate but essential.”
Off The Field became a national nonprofit in 2006, but the work (led by Patterson Brown) started before that. It’s led by women who know that being connected to the NFL gives you a platform. And what you do with that platform? It matters. Over the years they’ve donated more than $1 million to community organizations across the country, focused on creating impact around the cities that are hosting during the Big Game weekend.
Patterson Brown explains what they’re trying to do with the fashion show beyond just raising money. “We want our footprint in the Bay Area to reflect generosity, unity, and a shared commitment to investing in families.” It’s about amplifying work that’s already happening, making sure these organizations have support long after everyone leaves town.
But what’s most powerful is the “who” behind this organization. Off The Field is proudly spearheaded by Black women, and the membership also is diverse, reflecting the NFL itself, with women from different backgrounds and regions. And that matters in how they approach the work. “Being a diverse organization means our work is informed by lived experiences and by a shared understanding of both the challenges and the resilience present in many of the communities we support,” Patterson Brown says.
She adds, “Women of all backgrounds—especially Black women—are impactful leaders, innovators, and advocates. Our representation is not symbolic; it directly influences the initiatives we champion, the partnerships we cultivate, and the commitment we bring to creating long-term, meaningful change.”
By now, Super Bowl week is basically a weeklong party, we all know that (I’ve even experienced it firsthand). There are celebrities, brands and influencers everywhere you look. But Off The Field keeps doing what it’s always done. “For us, it’s not just about creating a glamorous moment—it’s about using that moment to elevate the voices, issues, and programs that deserve national visibility,” Patterson Brown says. “We bring heart to the biggest week in sports, reminding everyone that even in celebration, there is room for purpose.”
Looking ahead, Patterson Brown says there’s more coming. Plans for 2026 include new programming around mental wellness for women and youth, leadership development for members, more ways to stay engaged year-round. “The future for Off The Field is bold, purposeful, and full of momentum—and we’re just getting started,” she says.
This Friday, NFL spouses and significant others will model on the runway at the charity fashion show. Patterson Brown will be there too, not as someone’s wife, but as the woman who’s been leading this organization through one of its most ambitious chapters yet. The event will draw the usual Super Bowl week crowd – athletes, celebrities, fans looking for the next big party. But for the Boys & Girls Clubs and the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, it means funding that’ll keep programs running, resources that’ll reach families who need them, attention that might bring in more support down the line.
The post This NFL Wives Organization Is Using Fashion To Fund Community Change During Super Bowl Week appeared first on Essence.
