PORTLAND, Ore. (April 28, 2026) – The Portland Thorns today announced goalkeeper Bella Bixby as its nominee for the 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, recognizing an NWSL player for outstanding service and character off the pitch and in the community. All 16 nominees from across the NWSL were announced by the league today.
The Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, was introduced in 2024 to honor the two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian ESPY Award. It spotlights players who exemplify dedication and commitment to giving back in service of their local communities.
Bixby has chosen to support Friends of Trees, a local community-driven nonprofit focused on expanding and caring for the urban forest across the Pacific Northwest through volunteer-powered tree plantings and stewardship efforts to restore neighborhoods, parks and natural spaces in both urban and underserved communities. Through her volunteer work with Friends of Trees, Bixby has seen the power of community-driven environmental action and its neighborhood-level impact, reinforcing her commitment to healthier communities for her daughter and future generations.
To learn more about Bixby’s support of Friends of Trees, click here. To learn more about the Friends of Trees and their mission, visit friendsoftrees.org.
After the 16 nominees are celebrated over the course of the season, one winner will be announced during Championship weekend in November. At that time, Nationwide will make a $50,000 donation to the charitable organization of the winner’s choice.
“I am full of gratitude to be nominated for this award,” Bixby said. “So many amazing players before me have demonstrated their dedication to and leadership within their communities. I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to do the same, and I am thrilled to be able to bring attention and awareness to a community driven organization that fosters environmental stewardship, climate action, and restoring natural environments and expanding access to nature in urban spaces.”
Added Friends of Trees Executive Director Yahsar Vasef: “We’re so grateful to Bella for her support of Friends of Trees, and a big congratulations on this well-deserved nomination. Through volunteering with Friends of Trees, she’s seen firsthand how powerful it is when people come together around the shared goal of planting and caring for trees. That kind of community-driven action helps create healthier, more connected communities, and we’re excited to continue this work alongside the Portland Thorns."
The winner will be determined by a panel of judges that will include Lauren Holiday, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, and representatives from Nationwide, NWSLPA, and Media Association.
Fans are invited to show support for their favorite nominee through the Fan Impact Challenge. The competition will be hosted on nwslsoccer.com from August 14-29. The nominee with the most fan engagement will be announced as winner of the Fan Impact Challenge and the charitable organization of that player’s choice will receive an additional $10,000 donation from Nationwide.
For the second year, an enhancement to the Fan Impact Challenge is a sweepstakes where one randomly selected fan, among those who voted for the winning nominee, will receive a jersey from the team of their choosing.
Over the course of the season, each club will recognize its nominee and local community partner during a match. To honor their impact, a $5,000 donation will be made to the chosen nonprofit organization in each market.
For more information on Bixby and the Lauren Holiday Impact Award, click here.
Fans interested in purchasing Thorns tickets for the 2026 NWSL season are encouraged to call the ticket office at 503-509-5555, email ticketsales@thorns.com or visit thorns.com/tickets for more information. To view the full 2026 Portland Thorns schedule, visit thorns.com/schedule.
About the Portland Thorns
Founded in 2012, the Portland Thorns are a global leader in women’s soccer, defined by unmatched fan support, championship success, and a longstanding commitment to excellence since their inaugural 2013 season. The Thorns have created one of the premier environments in women’s sports at Providence Park, leading the NWSL in average attendance for a league-record ninth time in 2025 and hosting four of the five largest-attended matches during the 2025 season. Portland is the winningest club in NWSL history, capturing a league-record three NWSL Championships (2013, 2017, 2022), two NWSL Shields (2016, 2021), and the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, while qualifying for the postseason a league-high 11 times. Looking ahead, the club’s investment in the world’s first dual-sport women’s performance center, the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, set to open in 2026, will foster an environment that champions innovation, elevates athlete development, and enhances elite performance.
About Friends of Trees
Friends of Trees inspires people to improve the natural world around them through a simple solution: Planting Trees. Together. Friends of Trees was founded in 1989 by a local community member who loved trees and started planting them in neighborhoods. Today, Friends of Trees is a nationally recognized, regional leader in improving the urban tree canopy and restoring sensitive natural areas—through programs delivered by thousands of volunteers. Friends of Trees has planted more than 1,030,000 trees and native plants in 120+ neighborhoods in six counties across two states in the 37 years since its founding.
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 28, 2026) – The Portland Thorns today announced goalkeeper Bella Bixby as its nominee for the 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, recognizing an NWSL player for outstanding service and character off the pitch and in the community. All 16 nominees from across the NWSL were announced by the league today.
The Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, was introduced in 2024 to honor the two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian ESPY Award. It spotlights players who exemplify dedication and commitment to giving back in service of their local communities.
Bixby has chosen to support Friends of Trees, a local community-driven nonprofit focused on expanding and caring for the urban forest across the Pacific Northwest through volunteer-powered tree plantings and stewardship efforts to restore neighborhoods, parks and natural spaces in both urban and underserved communities. Through her volunteer work with Friends of Trees, Bixby has seen the power of community-driven environmental action and its neighborhood-level impact, reinforcing her commitment to healthier communities for her daughter and future generations.
To learn more about Bixby’s support of Friends of Trees, click here. To learn more about the Friends of Trees and their mission, visit friendsoftrees.org.
After the 16 nominees are celebrated over the course of the season, one winner will be announced during Championship weekend in November. At that time, Nationwide will make a $50,000 donation to the charitable organization of the winner’s choice.
“I am full of gratitude to be nominated for this award,” Bixby said. “So many amazing players before me have demonstrated their dedication to and leadership within their communities. I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to do the same, and I am thrilled to be able to bring attention and awareness to a community driven organization that fosters environmental stewardship, climate action, and restoring natural environments and expanding access to nature in urban spaces.”
Added Friends of Trees Executive Director Yahsar Vasef: “We’re so grateful to Bella for her support of Friends of Trees, and a big congratulations on this well-deserved nomination. Through volunteering with Friends of Trees, she’s seen firsthand how powerful it is when people come together around the shared goal of planting and caring for trees. That kind of community-driven action helps create healthier, more connected communities, and we’re excited to continue this work alongside the Portland Thorns."
The winner will be determined by a panel of judges that will include Lauren Holiday, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, and representatives from Nationwide, NWSLPA, and Media Association.
Fans are invited to show support for their favorite nominee through the Fan Impact Challenge. The competition will be hosted on nwslsoccer.com from August 14-29. The nominee with the most fan engagement will be announced as winner of the Fan Impact Challenge and the charitable organization of that player’s choice will receive an additional $10,000 donation from Nationwide.
For the second year, an enhancement to the Fan Impact Challenge is a sweepstakes where one randomly selected fan, among those who voted for the winning nominee, will receive a jersey from the team of their choosing.
Over the course of the season, each club will recognize its nominee and local community partner during a match. To honor their impact, a $5,000 donation will be made to the chosen nonprofit organization in each market.
For more information on Bixby and the Lauren Holiday Impact Award, click here.
Fans interested in purchasing Thorns tickets for the 2026 NWSL season are encouraged to call the ticket office at 503-509-5555, email ticketsales@thorns.com or visit thorns.com/tickets for more information. To view the full 2026 Portland Thorns schedule, visit thorns.com/schedule.
About the Portland Thorns
Founded in 2012, the Portland Thorns are a global leader in women’s soccer, defined by unmatched fan support, championship success, and a longstanding commitment to excellence since their inaugural 2013 season. The Thorns have created one of the premier environments in women’s sports at Providence Park, leading the NWSL in average attendance for a league-record ninth time in 2025 and hosting four of the five largest-attended matches during the 2025 season. Portland is the winningest club in NWSL history, capturing a league-record three NWSL Championships (2013, 2017, 2022), two NWSL Shields (2016, 2021), and the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, while qualifying for the postseason a league-high 11 times. Looking ahead, the club’s investment in the world’s first dual-sport women’s performance center, the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, set to open in 2026, will foster an environment that champions innovation, elevates athlete development, and enhances elite performance.
About Friends of Trees
Friends of Trees inspires people to improve the natural world around them through a simple solution: Planting Trees. Together. Friends of Trees was founded in 1989 by a local community member who loved trees and started planting them in neighborhoods. Today, Friends of Trees is a nationally recognized, regional leader in improving the urban tree canopy and restoring sensitive natural areas—through programs delivered by thousands of volunteers. Friends of Trees has planted more than 1,030,000 trees and native plants in 120+ neighborhoods in six counties across two states in the 37 years since its founding.
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