HASTINGS, Minn. — Youth from 500 families have pep in their step as they head back to school in fresh kicks, thanks to a shoe donation by the A&A All the Way Foundation established by Vikings running back Aaron Jones, Sr., and his twin brother Alvin Jones, Jr. Their sister Chelsi and mother Vurgess were also on hand at United Heroes League last month for the giveaway.

A&A All the Way's leading cause is supporting military families in honor of the service of Vurgess Jones (1990-2016) and the late Alvin Jones, Sr., who served from 1984-2012.

Those commitments and shared family sacrifices shaped the Jones children, influencing their upbringing and enabling them to understand what youth go through while parents are serving.

"One year I didn't play football because both of my parents were deployed," Aaron recalled when speaking with media members. "Every two or three years, I had to go and prove myself in different areas — Virginia, Texas, Tennessee — but I feel like it established me for today's world and the structure in the NFL of being able to adapt to change quickly. You have to go and prove yourself every day in the world, so I feel like it helped me get ready for life."

Staff Sgt. Jason Einberger is entering 12^th year of service. He and his wife Mykaela appreciated the opportunity to bring their sons, Ole (7) and Adler (4), to the United Heroes League headquarters for the fun event that included activities for youth, photo opportunities with Aaron and snacks and drinks provided by Vikings Table.

"It's nice to have the support for the family of a service member," said SSG Einberger, who has previously deployed to Egypt and Djibouti. "She's been through two deployments with me, and really my whole journey."

Mykaela added: "This was amazing. One thing we run into is, there's not a lot of events for military kids under the age of 10, so having the opportunity to bring these two for a once-in-a-lifetime meeting of an NFL player is really great."

Aaron enjoyed greeting families in the photo line and seeing the smiling faces of the young people with their family members.

"It's such a joy and takes me back to when I was their age. I always say when a parent serves, the spouse and the children serve," he said. "They all face those hardships and have to deal with them as a family and get through it."

"You want to start off school feeling the right way, fresh. That's an easy conversation starter that can lead to friends," Aaron added. "Look good, feel good, so I just wanted them to start school the right way with smiles on their faces."

Aaron and his family have appreciated multiple opportunities to visit UHL, as well as the Vikings gifting of two bricks in honor of Vurgess and her late husband on the "Heroes Wall."

"It's been an amazing partnership with them allowing us to come out here, and just to see what they've built, I remember coming out here when I first signed [with Minnesota]," Aaron said. "My dad has a brick here, so my heart is here.

"It's a special place, and I love what they're doing," he added. "A lot of times, military families don't have the funds to put their kids in sports, and maybe they're taking out loans or finding any way possible, so they're providing equipment and things like that. It's huge and aligns with what we do and what we want to be. I love it."

Events like this and continued commitments to military families have enabled Aaron to further connect his son "Junior" to the service of Vurgess and Alvin, Sr.

The relationships Aaron forms with military families are so memorable because they are so genuine.

"It's a bond you share. Football is its own fraternity, but the military world is, as well, especially for military children," Aaron said. "Being in the NFL, it's such a small community, you find each other and get to know each other and share stories. A lot of times you find out your dads were stationed in the same place."

Hope Kids Welcomed

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"Nice sombrero," I said, flagging down another family to ask about their day.

"Yeah," 10-year-old Brady Swanson replied smoothly from under the broad, purple brim.

"Everybody says that to us," his 5-year-old sister Rylan said as she bounced up and down.

Their mom Shayla Swanson explained she received it as a Christmas gift, fulfilling her wish.

"Big Aaron Jones fan," Shayla said. "I'm a huge Vikings fan but fell in love with Aaron the first year he was here. It seems like he's out in the community doing a lot, and so are the Vikings."

Also with the group, 7-year-old Oakley was a source of inspiration to thousands last October during halftime of Minnesota's Crucial Catch game. Oakley was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL Leukemia on Feb. 21, 2023, and completed chemotherapy on June 22, 2025.

The Swanson family and others with chronically ill children supported by Hope Kids were also invited to the event.

"Today was absolutely amazing," UHL President Shane Hudella said. "We had 500 families — the amount of generosity from Aaron Jones and his family, and the support from the Vikings organization created lifelong memories for hundreds of military families and then a good chunk of families from Hope Kids, as well, so a truly inspiring day.

"The military has a code and a brotherhood, and it doesn't matter what branch you were in, whatever your background is. If you served, we'll go to the ends of the earth for each other," Hudella added. "And I think Aaron and his entire family lives by that code, too. And you can tell by not only giving back, but one of the biggest stars in the NFL takes the time to come out here, spend a couple hours, do pictures with the kids, I can tell this is important to him and his family. So it's just incredible."

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