Beginning August 31, 2026, four young ‘Heart Warriors’ will appear on Adams Outdoor billboards throughout the greater Charlotte region as part of the Adams Outdoor Charlotte Collaborate Program. TJ, Valentina, Devin and Leia are the faces of a yearlong out-of-home campaign for The HEARTest Yard the congenital heart disease nonprofit founded by former Carolina Panther Greg Olsen and his wife, Kara Olsen inspired by their son.



What follows is a look at the four Heart Warriors behind the campaign, why congenital heart disease reaches further into Charlotte families than most people realize, how the campaign came together with the AdLab creative team, and what a full year of donated out-of-home advertising makes possible for a local nonprofit.



The HEARTest Yard Billboard Installation

Watch with Adams Outdoor & WCCB Rising

Video courtesy of WCCB Charlotte. Watch the full story on WCCB Charlotte.

A billboard is designed and approved on a screen, but becomes real when the vinyl goes up. The HEARTest Yard families joined the Adams Outdoor team to watch that happen, standing at the base of the structure while the Adams Outdoor Operations crew stretched a Heart Warrior across a 36 foot display.

For the families, it was the first time seeing a face they know better than anyone at that scale, above a road thousands of Charlotte drivers travel every day.

Congenital Heart Disease Impacts More Families than You Think

Congenital heart disease, or CHD, refers to problems with the heart’s structure that are present at birth and can change how blood flows through the heart and to the rest of the body. Congenital heart disease can feel like something that happens to someone else’s family. The numbers tell a different story:

Closer to home, approximately 130 babies are born with a congenital heart defect in Mecklenburg County each year.

For those families, a diagnosis often opens into surgeries, extended hospital stays, ongoing specialized care and challenges that reach well beyond the hospital walls. Some journeys begin with a scan during pregnancy, while others begin without warning, years later, on an ordinary afternoon.

A family driving down I-85 and seeing one of these billboards may already know precisely what it means to be a Heart Warrior family, while the driver in the next lane may be encountering the words “congenital heart disease” for the first time.

The HEARTest Yard’s Mission in Charlotte

For Greg and Kara Olsen, congenital heart disease became personal when their son, TJ, was born with a serious heart defect.

Their family’s experience gave them first-hand insight into everything that comes with caring for a child with a complex heart condition, including the emotional, financial and day-to-day pressures that fall on an entire family long after surgery ends. They built The HEARTest Yard to give other families the support and resources they knew could make a difference.

More than a decade later, what began with one Charlotte family has grown into a community of Heart Warriors, families, healthcare providers, advocates and supporters across the Carolinas. Through partnerships with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital and MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, the organization connects families with specialized care and services designed to support the children in treatment along with the parents and siblings walking beside them.

“More than a decade ago, The HEARTest Yard began because Greg and Kara understood firsthand how overwhelming it can be to have a child facing congenital heart disease, and they wanted to make sure other families didn’t have to navigate that journey alone,” said Molly Ansbro, Executive Director of The HEARTest Yard and Chief Operating Officer of Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation.

“Today, we’re able to surround families with resources, support and access to incredible care during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We are so grateful to Adams Outdoor for selecting The HEARTest Yard as a Collaborate partner and giving us the opportunity to share the faces and stories of our Heart Warriors across Charlotte.”

Meet the Heart Warriors Behind the HEARTest Yard Billboards

Over the next year, drivers throughout Charlotte will meet four young people whose stories show just how different a heart journey can look and the extraordinary strength behind each one.

TJ: The Heart Warrior Who Started a Movement

TJ Olsen’s journey is where The HEARTest Yard story began.

Born in 2012 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a complex congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart does not develop properly, TJ faced significant medical challenges from the very beginning. He underwent multiple open-heart surgeries before receiving a heart transplant on June 4, 2021, at just 8 years old.

His family’s experience navigating TJ’s heart journey became the inspiration for The HEARTest Yard and its mission to support other families facing congenital heart disease.

Today, TJ is thriving as a student and young athlete. He plays baseball and will return to the football field this fall for his second year of tackle football with his middle school.

More than a decade after his story inspired The HEARTest Yard, TJ will now appear alongside other Heart Warriors on billboards across Charlotte. From heart surgeries and a transplant to playing the sports he loves, his journey is a powerful example of the resilience, courage and hope behind every Heart Warrior.

Valentina: Dancing Her Way Forward

Valentina’s heart journey began before she was born.

During pregnancy, doctors discovered that she had D-TGA, or dextro-transposition of the great arteries. With D-TGA, the two major arteries that carry blood away from the heart are connected in the opposite positions from where they should be, preventing oxygen-rich blood from circulating normally through the body.

For Valentina, the diagnosis was related to a rare genetic condition. Her medical team at Levine Children’s Hospital followed her closely throughout the remainder of the pregnancy and prepared for her arrival.

At just six days old, Valentina underwent open-heart surgery to correct the defect.

Today, she is a happy, loving 5-year-old who has started school and loves to dance.

“We are incredibly grateful for the amazing care she received and for how far she has come,” her family shared. “It means a lot to us that her story can be shared and hopefully help bring awareness to congenital heart disease and the incredible work done by the team at Levine Children’s Hospital.”

Devin: A Second Chance at Life

Devin was just 13 years old when he experienced cardiac arrest, meaning his heart suddenly stopped effectively pumping blood to his brain and other vital organs.

His mom found him unresponsive, and his brother immediately began CPR. He continued for approximately 20 minutes, helping keep blood circulating through Devin’s body until emergency responders arrived.

At the hospital, doctors discovered Devin’s heart was failing and could no longer pump enough blood to meet his body’s needs.

Devin spent six months in the hospital and eventually received an LVAD, or left ventricular assist device. An LVAD is a mechanical pump that helps a weakened heart circulate blood throughout the body. It can also serve as a bridge for patients, like Devin, who are waiting for a donor heart.

Even with the LVAD, Devin returned to school and did his best to live a normal life. After waiting nine months, he received the gift of a donor heart.

“My transplant gave me a second chance, and I try to honor that by working hard, helping others, and making the most of each day,” Devin shared. The experience, he says, taught him “resilience, gratitude, and the importance of never taking life for granted.”

Leia: The Littlest Fighter

Leia was also born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), the same congenital heart defect TJ was born with. The left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped and unable to effectively pump blood to the rest of the body.

Her family learned about Leia’s condition when her mother was 30 weeks pregnant. They also learned their baby would need a series of major surgeries beginning almost immediately after birth to help her heart function.

“As her parents, we were heartbroken knowing she would have to undergo a series of surgeries to give her a fighting chance at life,” her family shared. “We knew our Leia would be alright because she was our little fighter.”

Leia underwent her first surgery at just four days old and spent the next month in the hospital surrounded by the doctors and nurses caring for her and her family.

Today, her parents describe her as an adorable, happy baby girl who makes being a parent easy, even after everything she has already been through.

Her journey is still unfolding, but like every Heart Warrior featured in this campaign, Leia’s story represents something much bigger than a diagnosis. It represents the children, families, medical teams and support systems behind every fight against congenital heart disease.

How Billboard Creative Brings Heart Warrior Stories to Life

How do you take stories this personal and translate them into something that can connect with someone driving by at 65 miles per hour?

It begins with listening.

For The HEARTest Yard campaign, the creative process brought together a full team, including Adams Outdoor Charlotte General Manager Julie Johnson, members of the marketing, several members of The HEARTest Yard and Adams AdLab Art Director, Alyssa Scheffers.

The HEARTest Yard team shared the stories behind the organization, the experiences of its Heart Warriors and the details that matter most to the families who live this journey every day. Those conversations became the foundation for the campaign.

One detail stood out: the “zipper scar,” the vertical chest scar many Heart Warriors carry following open-heart surgery. Within the heart community, that scar can be a powerful symbol of strength and everything these children have overcome. That idea of strength naturally led the team to a creative concept that celebrates each child as exactly what they are: a Heart Warrior and a hero.

From there, another visual connection came naturally. With The HEARTest Yard’s roots in the Olsen family and Greg Olsen’s history with the Carolina Panthers, football imagery provided a recognizable Charlotte connection while reinforcing the campaign’s themes of strength, courage and teamwork. Launching as football season gets underway made the concept even more timely.

The result is creative that feels personal to the families, unmistakably connected to The HEARTest Yard and simple enough to make an immediate impact from the roadway.

For Alyssa and the AdLab team, that simplicity is intentional. Great billboard creative has only seconds to connect with someone passing by. By pairing powerful portraits with familiar football imagery and meaningful details from the Heart Warriors themselves, the campaign turns complex medical journeys into something people can immediately see, feel and remember.

Why Billboards for These Stories?

Out-of-home advertising has a unique ability to make a personal story public. A face, a name and a few powerful words can reach people where they are without requiring them to click, follow or search.

For The HEARTest Yard, that visibility means more opportunities for a family to recognize a resource they may need, for someone to learn about congenital heart disease, or simply for a Heart Warrior to be seen and celebrated by their community.

“We are incredibly grateful to Adams for this generous grant and for helping us bring these Heart Warriors into the spotlight,” said Greg Olsen, co-founder of The HEARTest Yard. “These kids are incredibly strong, resilient and inspiring, and we wanted all of the Carolinas to see them and celebrate them. From babies just a few months old to young adults who have grown up navigating life with a heart defect, each of these kids has a story worth knowing and celebrating. We hope these billboards not only make our heart kids feel seen, but also help our entire community understand just how many families are impacted by congenital heart defects. This is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness and remind people that behind every heart defect is a child, a family and a story of strength.”

Reaching Charlotte Through Static and Digital Billboards

The yearlong Collaborate campaign will give The HEARTest Yard a significant presence across the Charlotte market, including:

• 5 bulletins, including two 14′ x 48′ and three 10’6″ x 36′ displays
• 5 posters
• Digital billboard exposure based on space availability
• An estimated 500,000 impressions each week

The static campaign was designed to give each Heart Warrior a moment of their own. The scale and simplicity of static billboards allow the portraits and stories to create an emotional connection from the roadway.

But the stories will not stay in one place.

Throughout the year, the bulletins and posters will move to different locations across Charlotte, introducing TJ, Valentina, Devin and Leia to new neighborhoods, roadways and audiences as the campaign travels throughout the community.

Adams Outdoor’s digital billboards will add another layer of reach. Based on space availability, digital inventory across the Charlotte billboard network will help fill in the gaps between static locations and keep all four Heart Warriors and their messages in rotation throughout the year.

Together, the formats give the campaign both staying power and movement. Static placements create an opportunity to connect with each individual story, while digital keeps the broader campaign circulating across Charlotte.

With an estimated 25 million impressions across this campaign, these four stories have the opportunity to be seen again and again in the communities where people live, work and travel every day.

How Adams Collaborate Helps Nonprofits Make a Bigger Impact

For Adams Outdoor, this campaign represents exactly what the Adams Collaborate Program was created to do.

The Adams Collaborate Program is more than donated advertising space. Selected nonprofits receive a full year of support that brings together campaign strategy, creative development, marketing expertise and high-impact out-of-home advertising at little to no cost.

From the first conversations with The HEARTest Yard to the creative development with AdLab and the yearlong media strategy, this campaign is the result of teams working together to find the right story, the right creative and the right platform to make an impact.

The HEARTest Yard is one of four Charlotte-area nonprofits selected for the 2026–2027 Adams Collaborate program. For the next year, every placement, every new location and every impression is another opportunity to introduce someone to a Heart Warrior and the organization standing behind them.

Learn More and Get Involved

Every Heart Warrior has a story. Help The HEARTest Yard continue supporting children and families impacted by congenital heart disease. Meet more Heart Warriors and learn how you can get involved.

Have a story or message you want your community to see? Let’s put it where it can make an impact. Connect with Adams Outdoor to explore billboard advertising opportunities in Charlotte and across our 14-state footprint.