Professional athletes' families meet to help each other

Plano Star Courier, August 2004
By Swawn Floyd

Some people may think that the only thing Donna Trayler does is drop names of pro athletes such as Torri Hunter of the Minnesota Twins and New York Giants players Omar Stoutmire and Clarence LeBlanc.

But that isn't it at all.

She also sells homes to these peopleand then she hosts lunches to welcome their famlies to the area and introduce them to people working in service businesses.

"We call it our monthly girls' meeting," says Trayler. "We give referrals on hair stylists and where to shop and things like that."

She says it all happens because "they know they can trust me. I'm kind of the mother lode around here."

"Most of the girls keep to themselves because they don't want to be used," she said.

Like clockwork every month, Trayler, Kim Alexander, and Annette Moss coordinate the lunches.

"It's a wonderful network," says Moss, who goes by the nickname 'Scoodie' and who is former Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Reds player Deion Sanders' aunt.

Alexander, the wife of former Oakland Raiders player Elijah Alexander, says, "It's like a sisterhood. When the new players' families move into town, you can give them a heads-up. We all have children and we can talk about what it's like to live in one city half the year, and another city the other half of the year.

"Also," adds Alexander, a Frisco resident, "we can talk about adjusting to career changes and whether the player has a plan after football because if not, it can be turbulent for the family."

When pressed for advice at the meetings, Moss usually tells them to "find your purpose and stay focused because so many times you get caught up in the athletes' lives and you forget about yourself."

"Also," she adds, "it's important to be protective of their privacy."