Bills players have been doing some great things on the field and they are also having a great impact off of it. Yesterday, in Holland, NY 18 Bills players came out in full force to show their appreciation to the kids at H.O. Brumsted Elementary for their support of the Bills.
The players spoke to the students about the importance of being physically active and making healthy decisions, and also led a physical education class as part of NFL's PLAY 60 campaign. In addition, they presented the school with a $10,000 NFL PLAY 60 grant for health and wellness programming or equipment as winners of the NFL PLAY 60 Super School sweepstakes.
The "super parent" was Marilyn Byrd, safety Jairus Byrd's mother, and she helped present the $10,000 check.
"Anytime that I can have family, and especially my mom, here at community events - that's amazing," said Byrd. "I always like the kids to see more than just the games. My mom always told me with hard work I can do anything I want to. She told me to pray and keep my faith first, and she did a good job of keeping my mind where it needed to be."
To celebrate the start of the 2011 NFL season, fans were encouraged to demonstrate their passion for their favorite NFL teams by planning a unique Back to Football Friday event for their school, all to support youth health and wellness.
Bills players in attendance were linebacker Arthur Moats, safety Jairus Byrd, wide receiver Donald Jones, wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, fullback Corey McIntyre, cornerback Drayton Florence, defensive lineman Spencer Johnson, running back Fred Jackson, safety/linebacker Bryan Scott, defensive end Dwan Edwards, offensive lineman Andy Levitre, linebacker Andra Davis, kicker Rian Lindell, center Eric Wood, long snapper Garrison Sanborn, quarterback/wide receiver Brad Smith, running back C.J. Spiller and safety George Wilson.
The player's positive team chemistry was evident throughout the program.
"We had a great group of guys out here," said Fred Jackson. "This is the most guys I've seen come to an event like this, so it really says a lot about this team's character and how willing everyone is to get out there and support the team on our day off. We are just a big family."
Kids were thrilled to see so many guys visit their school and the players also were genuinely moved.
"There are moments we experience, just for a minute, that have the capability to last a lifetime," said Bryan Scott. "I really hope that I got to touch a few lives today, because they certainly touched mine."
"We were able to put some smiles on the kids' faces and show them some exercises they can do at home," said George Wilson. "I still can't believe that when I see these events it just reminds me of the commitment our organization and players have to this community, and it's wonderful to be a part of."
The Bills appreciated the support from the school and all of the students that took part.
"This is a great event for us to show our support of this school and everyone who participated," said Jackson. "They put in so much work to win this Back to Football Friday contest and they deserve it. So many kids are trying to get out and get active, so we're just here to reinforce that message. I didn't have this when I was growing up, but I would love to have had the opportunity."
The principal and teachers of the school were pumped.
"We are so excited as to how many players are here to show their support," said Jeff Mochrie, H.O. Brumsted principal. "The fact that 18 players came is unbelievable. I'm completely awestruck. The kids are saying, "Oh, my-gosh!" This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It really gives me the chills. I just talked to my phys. ed teachers and I asked if they ever would have thought they were going to be running stations with the Buffalo Bills, so our entire small community is just so happy and thankful that they made the trip down here. It's something that we will never forget."
"The Bills are amazing, they have come in and answered a ton of questions for our kids, they spoke about health and wellness, and the most amazing thing for us is that they are true role models because they are giving back to the community," said Barb Held, H.O. Brumstead physical education teacher.
"The thing I will never forget is looking at the kids faces when the Bills players first started to come out, it was unbelievable," added Held.
