Ball State Football Cards Kick Cancer Supports Pediatric Cancer Research

Two people stand on a red carpet and pose together

Ball State football specialists Caden Britton, Carson Holmer, and Cole Stumbaugh turned field goals and extra points into support for pediatric cancer research—and earned Heart of the Cardinal recognition for their service

When Caden Britton, ’26, walked on stage at The Chirpies in April, his younger brother was right there beside him.

For Caden, a long snapper on Ball State’s football team, that made the moment mean more than any award could on its own. He, kicker Carson Holmer, ’26, and punter Cole Stumbaugh were being recognized with the Heart of the Cardinal Award, an honor presented during Ball State Athletics’ annual awards celebration to student-athletes whose impact reaches beyond competition.

But Caden’s little brother, Behren, was the reason their story had started.

“When we went to claim the award, I had my little brother with me, which was nice because he was the reason we started the whole thing,” Caden said. “Seeing the smile on his face as we walked up the stage, big crowd all clapping for him, it was great.”

Behren is 10 now. At age 2, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after his family noticed a lymph node in his neck had begun to swell. For Caden, then a teenager, the diagnosis changed daily life for the entire family.

“It shakes a whole family dynamic,” he said. “There’s constant hospital appointments. Even when you’re going through chemotherapy like that, even something like a cold can be life-threatening.”

He remembers the fear, the appointments, and the strain of watching someone so young endure treatment. But he also remembers the way people responded. Family, friends, and neighbors rallied around the Brittons so consistently, he said, that his family went months without cooking a meal.

“I think just the outreach that we got from it was really a blessing,” Caden said. “It brought my whole family closer together. It brought my community closer together.”

Behren is now cancer-free. He goes to school full time and plays football, basketball, and wrestles. At The Chirpies, he also got a moment in the spotlight—one he continued talking about for weeks afterward.

“He said he wanted his own trophy,” Caden said with a laugh.

That family experience became the personal foundation for Cards Kick Cancer, an initiative Mr. Britton, Mr. Holmer, and Mr. Stumbaugh launched to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national childhood cancer charity. The idea was simple: turn Ball State football’s field goals and extra points into donations for pediatric cancer research.

Mr. Holmer had experience with a similar effort. Previously, he helped lead Kick for Hillcroft, which raised money for Hillcroft Services in Muncie. That project showed him what could happen when student-athletes used their platform for a cause.

“We understand that we have the platform to reach out to people,” Mr. Holmer said. “We have a social following. We have a platform that people wish they had. So, we just wish that we can do whatever we can to raise awareness for whatever it is and just be good in the world.”

The specialists’ closeness made Cards Kick Cancer feel natural. Mr. Britton and Mr. Holmer arrived at Ball State in the summer of 2022 and have grown especially close during a time when athletes staying at the same school for four or five years has become less common. Both earned Ball State degrees in May and returned this season as redshirt seniors, while Mr. Stumbaugh continues his career as a redshirt sophomore.

“Five-year guys at the same university are a rare feat, to say the least,” Mr. Holmer said. “Caden and I have obviously become best friends. Getting that close let us be this comfortable with each other to do something like this.”

For Mr. Stumbaugh, who arrived at Ball State in 2024, joining his fellow specialists to support the initiative—and Behren—was an easy decision.

“We all came together and thought it was a great idea to spread awareness,” Mr. Stumbaugh said.

During games, Caden said, the job still comes first. But he also admitted the fundraiser is never far from his mind.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it a little bit,” he said, grinning. “There were times during a game where I’d know we’d be done for the game, the game would be almost over, and I’d walk up and be like, ‘That’s X amount of money to the fundraiser.’ Obviously the game comes first, but I think it’s worth recognizing. It’s motivation.”

Head coach Mike Uremovich said the three players reflect the kind of team culture he wants Ball State football to build.

“We talk all the time about embracing this community and understanding the responsibility that comes with wearing Ball State across your chest,” Coach Uremovich said. “Caden, Carson, and Cole have done that in a really meaningful way.”

For the three specialists, service is not limited to one initiative.

Caden said community involvement was instilled in him early, including through his work with Special Olympics while he was in high school. Mr. Holmer credits his mother, Kimberly, a life skills teacher, with shaping the way he thinks about service. Mr. Stumbaugh points to his grandmother, Karen, as a major influence. He said she helped refugees from Africa resettle by assisting with housing, food, transportation, and other needs.

“She’s a huge role model for me,” Mr. Stumbaugh said.

That same willingness to help shows up in less formal ways, too. Around Muncie and the surrounding area, the three friends have taken on property-service jobs—power washing, painting sheds and decks, moving garden beds, and helping residents with tasks they need done.

“We do essentially anything,” Mr. Holmer said.

Some jobs are routine. Others stay with them. Mr. Stumbaugh remembers helping a veteran named J.R. Brown.

“It was really touching to see his story and kind of just help him out with little things,” he said.

As the 2026 season began, Cards Kick Cancer continued, with Ball State field goals and extra points again serving as a way to raise support for pediatric cancer research. The effort reflects what the three specialists set out to build together: a connection between the Cardinals’ success on the field and a cause that remains personal to them.

Their work has also brought national recognition: the three specialists, with Mr. Britton as the formal nominee, were nominated this year for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the Wuerffel Trophy, college football honors that recognize student-athletes for service, leadership, and community impact.

For them, the Heart of the Cardinal Award was not an ending. It was affirmation that their position group—often noticed most when something goes wrong—could be known for something larger.

“None of us do it for the publicity,” Mr. Holmer said. “We do it for the cause.”

And for Caden, that cause still begins with his brother. “We put in all that effort for him, in honor of him and the struggles he went through,” he said. “It was just a really great thing to see it all pay off.”