A lot of professional athletes take the time to do charity work but few have come up with a concept as simple yet interesting as Bills safety Jairus Byrd. Earlier this year, Byrd launched a campaign on Twitter and Facebook titled "Louder than Words" that connected people through random acts of kindness being posted on the pages. The pages have been extremely popular, accumulating more than 1500 followers.
Thrilled with the momentum of the initiative, Byrd decided to take it a step further and that begins when his "Byrd Seed" campaign kicks off in Buffalo. The program begins Tuesday, November 23rd at the McKinley Mall at 4pm. The event is free and will also feature an autograph session with Byrd. The goal of the campaign is to encourage the Buffalo community to do good deeds and if Byrd or a member of the Byrd seed flock takes notice, you will be awarded with a free movie voucher.
Byrd is known around the locker room for his quiet demeanor and feels people should lead through their actions, not their words.
"It is something that I have always believed in," said Byrd. "Instead of talking about it, people should take action."
Byrd is happy with the progress he has seen with "Louder than Words" and is looking forward to take it to another level in his new home.
"This is just another way for me to help spread the word about leading through actions instead of words," Byrd said. "The Twitter and Facebook pages have been great, but I'm really looking forward to bringing this to the streets of Buffalo, and rewarding people for their kind and generous actions."
Fellow safety Byran Scott knows what type of leader Byrd is and respects how he leads by example and is not surprised that he came up with such an idea.
"Jairus is not one that is heard vocally too often in the locker room," said Scott. "He has a very quiet demeanor. It has always been his actions that speak volumes. So this initiative that he has started goes hand in hand the way he lives his life. Do for your brother what you would want for yourself. If everybody lived his way the world would be a better place."
Former Bills safety Mark Kelso agreed with what Byran Scott said, noting Byrd's leadership qualities and how he treats people off the field.
"Jairus believes in leadership by example," said Kelso. "He has demonstrated his leadership on the field of play, and is bringing that same enthusiasm and determination to the streets of Buffalo. Jairus recognizes that everyone can make a difference in their community through positive actions and he is leading the way to help encourage random acts of kindness in Western New York. Jairus is making a difference in our community."
Jairus is a big movie buff and believes this is a great way to motivate people to take the time to do simple random acts of kindness.
"I am a big movie fan, I like to go out to movies," said Byrd. "Anytime you do a good deed, it is almost like encouragement to go out and do good deeds. With the Byrd Seed, you can get coupons to watch movies so hopefully that will get people excited about the idea."
Byrd is real excited to help out the Buffalo community and feels like this is a great area to do a project like this.
"It's big. Anytime you can go out and help the community, it's a great thing," said Byrd. "Buffalo is a great city and I am excited to be here and it is a blessing to be here and I just want to help out in any way I can."
