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Greg, Kara Olsen team up with steakhouse to raise money for kids with heart defects

CHARLOTTE — Greg and Kara Olsen have been in the Charlotte spotlight for years. Now, the couple has a new partnership to support their foundation, The Heartest Yard.

The Olsens have donated and helped raise millions of dollars that have been used to fund medical research. The money has helped parents with children battling congenital heart defects like their youngest son TJ.

Now, the couple has teamed up with Steak 48 in Charlotte’s SouthPark neighborhood for a celebrity-studded three-course meal.

It’s a bit of a departure from fundraisers that they’ve held in the past but the diversity of events speaks to the growth of The Heartest Yard.

“To see how far it’s grown, to see the amount of families it’s reached,” former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. “To have it means a lot to us and we’re not done. We just feel like we’re just getting started.”

As for how Steak 48 got involved -- the restaurant reached out first, which is a testament to the growth and reach of what the Olsens have built in the Carolinas and beyond.

Kara said she gets messages every week from a family with a child diagnosed with a congenital heart issue. They’re scared and confused and use her as a resource to help understand what to expect -- a resource Kara wished she had nine years ago.

“I just think of how Greg and I felt. We felt alone, we felt scared, we felt hopeless and I just hope we can fill those voids for those families,” she said.

Tickets to the event are sold out, but there is a waiting list you can sign up for.

(WATCH BELOW: Greg, Kara Olsen share their family’s journey through son’s heart transplant)