“Jaquan! Jaquan! Here!”
Jaquan Johnson of the Buffalo Bills threw the ball across the gym into a crowd of young boys, who all leapt as high as they could to be the one to catch it. One came down with the ball, while the others collided and fell into a pile of laughter on the floor.
Jaquan and his wife Nelly brought gifts and cupcakes to the children in Residential Services as part of the holidays, bringing Jaquan’s teammates Levi Wallace, Dane Jackson, and Justin Thomas to the festivities. Growing up in a foster program, Jaquan understands the impact that a visit life this can have on the kids – and he was able to see his impact firsthand throughout the evening. When the players were brought to the front of the room and introduced to the children as Buffalo Bills, more than one kiddo let out a “Whoa!” in disbelief.
During the party, Jaquan and his teammates spent time with the kids playing games, handing out presents, and feasting on pizza and sweet treats. After one of the boys had received a skateboard, the players took turns helping him roll across the gym. By the end of the night, the young boy was boldly launching himself across the gym with as much speed as he could.
Of course, there was plenty of football played throughout the evening. While playing catch with Levi Wallace, one of the boys nervously asked, “Can you show me how you hold a football when you throw it?”
Levi walked over and showed the boy how to put his fingers on his laces, how to flick his wrist as he throws, and how to follow through. After throwing his next pass, the boy smiled and said, “Oh yeah, that feels much better!”
Thank you so much to Jaquan, Nelly, Levi, Dane, and JT for taking the time to engage with the kids!
