McKelvin Charity
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 1:36 PM EDT
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PrintLet's go above and beyond and show Leodis, the Bills Organization, and the country that we are a classy organization and classy fan base. One action is not representative of the bunch.
I was thinking about different ways that we could respond as a collective fanbase and rally around our player and our team and maybe make a little positive out of a negative situation. What better way to show support then to make a group donation to a charity that Leodis has been involved in since he has been a Bill: Kids Escaping Drugs. Here is a write-up of Leodis' previous involvement.
As Chris Ellis says of his teammate, "Leodis had been doing the Kids Escaping Drugs program all year last year, and it was something I wanted to be a part of," Ellis said. "Nothing like this was available where I grew up, so it’s a great chance to give back to some of the kids in Buffalo."
I have set up a group donation page on Firstgiving.com for the Alcohol Drug Dependency Services Foundation, which is the parent organization for the Kids Escaping Drugs program. Firstgiving is a great site that allows people to pool funds to make a collective donation. If you are hesitant about donating online, take a look at their recent press:
http://www.firstgiving.com/statements/about_us/news.asp
I set the goal at $500. I think even this relatively modest amount would be an awesome show of support and really send a message that we appreciate our team and their part in the Buffalo community. Here is the link:
http://www.firstgiving.com/bills12thman
Please chip in and spread the word! Let's turn this negative into a positive!
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
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I can change it
It doesn’t close after $500, just wanted to give a reasonable goal to get things kicked off. Think I should up it?
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 1:47 PM EDT reply actions
I think we can do better than $500
but that is just my opinion. I guess we should probably just wait a little bit and see if everyone else thinks this is as good an idea as I did.
"Next time I get the opportunity I am going to hold on and make a better decision." ~ Leodis McKelvin. (Can't ask for anythitng more than that)
by NolaBillsFan on Sep 16, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Awesome. I will go ahead and change it if we can get the ball rolling
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s safe to move it up past the $500 mark. Any thoughts on how much we can raise?
"Next time I get the opportunity I am going to hold on and make a better decision." ~ Leodis McKelvin. (Can't ask for anythitng more than that)
by NolaBillsFan on Sep 16, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I think we can raise a really respectable amount of money if we can get someone to “echo” the message to the larger Bills community. I’ve got my fingers crossed that Chris Brown will be willing to reference it…
Maybe we can also post it on some other Bills boards?
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
he did reference it
Buffalo, that's where it's at baby. - Adam 'Pacman' Jones
by silverstreak3k on Sep 17, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry, but “get the ball rolling” might be a poor choice of words here.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 16, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m in
Now we have to find a way to reach him!
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 16, 2009 2:59 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Agreed! Open to all suggestions...
I “tweeted” buffalobills.com, Donte, TO, Kawika, and Maybin (all the guys who are active on Twitter) in the hopes that they will “retweet” it out to all their followers and spread the word a bit, but that’s a very long shot…
Also e-mailed Chris Brown… any other thoughts??
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
If you tweeted them letting them know this was done to show our full support of Leo and prove the scum that trashed his yard was an isolated incident and not indicative of all Bills fans, I’m sure they’ll notice…
Good job
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 16, 2009 3:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Progress!
http://twitter.com/jenkins8/status/4036151528
Chris Jenkins has a pretty close relationship with some of the players and a bunch of them follow him. I think he might work for the team in some capacity? Anyways, he re-tweeted the message to all of his followers – so now it will definitely show up on the player’s feeds!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I emailed the Shutdown Corner blog on Yahoo about this.
Hopefully they’ll run something. I even made a joke about a collection last year for driving lessons for Lynch.
by Mark Parisi on Sep 16, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Great idea. I’m game.
In this day and age, tweeting seems to be the best way to reach these types of people.
You could contact Channel 2,4, or 7 and see if they want to do a little blurb on the news. My sister did that two years ago with an organization called “Lights of Hope” that raised money sent christmas cards and lights to the soldiers in Afghanistan. The money went to the fallen soldier’s families and to the mailing, sending over 20,000 strands to the bases.
Delightfully Ignoring The Truth since 1995.
by NeverendingOptimism on Sep 16, 2009 3:17 PM EDT reply actions
and Rec’d. again, it’s a really great idea.
Delightfully Ignoring The Truth since 1995.
by NeverendingOptimism on Sep 16, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Is the site affiliated or linked up with the charity or will a donation be made to the charity once the goal is met??
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 16, 2009 3:39 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
The charity gets a weekly check
http://www.firstgiving.com/statements/about_us/fee_1.asp
the site links up to the charity via guidestar.com which is a clearinghouse for charities.
http://www2.guidestar.org/ReportNonProfit.aspx?ein=16-1319839&Mode=GxLite&lid=331346&dl=True
before selecting the charity, i reached out to them to make sure that it was the right one. i didnt tell them what i was doing (bc i didnt want to create any false hope), but i confirmed that its the right name and they will get the money.
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds good
This is a very nice gesture you are doing. We all thank you for putting this together.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 16, 2009 3:50 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Definitely getting traction!
I would encourage everybody to make a donation no matter how small – even just $5! That way when people see how many people have donated (even if it’s just five dollars), they may be more likely to hop on the bandwagon!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 4:11 PM EDT reply actions
Great idea
Get the word out…I don’t want some idiot representing Western NY like that.
Steve Bradley of the Rochester D&C just sent out the request to his 250+ followers on Twitter.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
This is really, really cool. Thanks for doing this, Tim.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 16, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions
$400!
Just got home from work and saw that a bunch more donations had come in! I am so psyched that this seems to be catching on and that everyone is chipping in and sending out the info… exactly in the spirit of this blog. Fingers crossed that we catch the eye of someone who can really help this take off!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 6:57 PM EDT reply actions
Chris Brown just posted it on Inside the Bills...
http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2009/09/16/real-bills-fans-step-up/
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
BTW - that is pretty neat. :-)
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 16, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybin just tweeted it!
http://twitter.com/AaronMaybin58
I am floored…!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 7:13 PM EDT reply actions
Sweet....
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 16, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions
This is the kind of reaction that makes me proud to be Bills fan
REC’d
Why do today, when it can wait til tomorrow; the games on!
just as an update
the donation is on the cusp of $600. If we hit a 1,000 that would be freaking awesome. This was a really, really good idea Tim. I’m very proud right now, so thanks for being creative and giving us an outlet to make this right. Your the man.
We got your back Leodis!
$1K would be amazing...
I am also so psyched that the message looks like it’s reaching the bills players, the organization, and bills fans all over the country. Just got another great retweet:
http://twitter.com/LAMase/statuses/4044325053
I know everyone is pumping out the message and I can say is thank you and let’s see how many more people we can get on board! Please reach out to anybody you think would be interested or could spread the word (anybody think we can get the Buffalo media to give us a shout out?). Fingers crossed to break 1K…
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 16, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions
Wow
Great idea and I am glad to see how well it is going. I think 1K will be reached by early tomorrow.
"Next time I get the opportunity I am going to hold on and make a better decision." ~ Leodis McKelvin. (Can't ask for anythitng more than that)
by NolaBillsFan on Sep 16, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
WGRZ
http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=70323&catid=4
“It turns out not ALL Bills fans are angry at Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin for fumbling away a probable Bills win at New England. Some fans of McKelvin’s have started a drive to raise $1,000 in McKelvin’s name for the players’ favorite charity, Kids Escaping Drugs.”
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 12:22 AM EDT reply actions
AWESOME!!!!!!
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Grrrreat Idea
This is what being a team is really all about. Honestly, donating to this cause and seeing everybody else get on board has become the proudest experience for me in all my 20+ years of being a Bills fan. Way to Go Buffalo!!!
The World's Greatest Heroes are Always Unsung
Keeping this at 1K
Or going to see if we can do more?
"Next time I get the opportunity I am going to hold on and make a better decision." ~ Leodis McKelvin. (Can't ask for anythitng more than that)
What do you think?
Maybe I can add a note in it that we beat 1k in less than 24 hours and now are shooting for 2k? 1.5k?
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 9:14 AM EDT reply actions
I think we're getting good press for this
I think we can get to 2K before this weekends game.
"Next time I get the opportunity I am going to hold on and make a better decision." ~ Leodis McKelvin. (Can't ask for anythitng more than that)
by NolaBillsFan on Sep 17, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Just got a voicemail from Pete Gallivan...
:-)
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 10:05 AM EDT reply actions
Matching Contributions
Wouldn’t it be great if Leodis saw this then said he would match the donations?
Update
Hey Everyone,
So this thing has definitely take on a life of its own! Allen Wilson is planning on writing about it for tomorrow’s paper and WGRZ is going to run a story later this afternoon. Hopefully that will yield some more donations and we will be able to make a real difference for the Kids Escaping Drugs organization!
I wanted to thank everyone again for spreading the word and making a donation. For the most part, the reception to this has been fantastic! We are up over $1,200 and the donations are still coming in. As you might imagine, there are some folks out there who aren’t quite ready to forgive McKelvin and aren’t so positive on the idea – but they seem to be in the vast minority. After all, how can you really be against raising money for charity! :-)
McKelvin has acted like a class act in handling the whole vandalism situation and everyone on this board has acted like a class act in supporting their player and team. For all of their ups and downs, there is no team I’d rather support than the Bills!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 1:40 PM EDT reply actions
Awesome.
I will be sure to link to them in the morning links column when I see them.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
well done Tim
this is really showing off the power of a strong blog community like Rumblings.
We got your back Leodis!
Pulled one of the few strings I can pull… :)
http://www.sbnation.com/2009/9/17/1035306/buffalo-fans-rally-for-mckelvin
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 17, 2009 4:24 PM EDT reply actions
Wow!
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Kudos to you all and awesome for the charity!
Thanks Joel!
We are all pretty psyched about this thing has taken off!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions
It looks like we might get another article!
Leo Roth is putting together something for tomorrow as well!
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 5:22 PM EDT reply actions
A message from Leo Roth at the D&C
“Thanks. This is a cool thing you guys did.”
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 17, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions
This is outstanding!
Can we front page this please? I sometimes overlook fanposts if I don’t plan on being online long.
by teq on Sep 17, 2009 7:31 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
D&C Writeup
Charity for McKelvin
Leodis McKelvin is feeling the love.
A group of Buffalo Bills fans, upset that vandals spray-painted the cornerback’s lawn after his fumbled kickoff led to a heartbreaking 25-24 loss in New England on Monday night, has created a Web site to show its support and raise donations for his favorite charity.
The Web site (http://www.firstgiving.com/bills12thman) had raised $1,200 as of Thursday for Kids Escaping Drugs, an organization McKelvin has supported since joining the Bills last season as their No. 1 draft pick. Online donors left messages for McKelvin such as "Take one to the house this week," and "We love you Leodis."
"We think this is a great opportunity to make a positive out of an otherwise negative situation," said Web page creator Tim Petrella, 24, a Bills fan living in New York City.
"With all the animosity swirling around, we wanted to let Leodis and the broader organization know that we appreciate the effort they are putting in and their contributions to the Buffalo community. One bad apple is certainly not representative of the bunch."
Actually, it was two bad apples.
Two Erie County teens, each 16, confessed to Hamburg police that they defaced McKelvin’s lawn in the early hours of Tuesday. McKelvin proceeded with pressing charges on Thursday after first saying he wasn’t interested in seeing anyone arrested.
— Leo Roth
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 18, 2009 8:19 AM EDT reply actions
Exciting Article...
I just wanted to let you know that an article is coming from a major sports news source. I haven’t seen it yet, so who knows what it’s going to say… but one thing worth noting.. the author was really interested in Buffalo Rumblings and said that he highlighted the group in the article…
Just thought I would build some suspense…
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 18, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions
Nice. :-) That is exactly what we wanted. We need the news of your efforts to be as widespread as the news of the fan spray painting the lawn. Then our mission will succeed.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 18, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
You wouldn’t possibly be referring to this article, would you? ;)
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 18, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
ok random question
did you live in New Jersey for a few years? I swear your name rings a bell.
We got your back Leodis!
Tim
Looks like you better up that total! Now approaching 2500!
Some jet and Bronco fans are even getting involved.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 18, 2009 5:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
And Packers, and Cowboys, and Vikings fans…!
Wouldn't it be ironic if this team imploded and it had nothing to do with TO?
by thefourwinds on Sep 18, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions
This is great
I’ve been following the site for a few years now, but posting this made me join up! I couldn’t be prouder of the Buffalo community for this effort – what a great way to demonstrate what the City of Good Neighbors is really about.
Over 3100. Wow. Just wow.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
Lets see if we can innundate Fox (I believe they are carrying the game…if not, then let’s innundate CBS) w/ emails about effort. You know the play-by-play team will be all over the vandalizing reports…..maybe they’ll offset that w/ reports that X dollars have been raised between news of the vandalism and opening kickoff of the game. (A shout out to the charity won’t hurt either)
by bluecollarbuffalo on Sep 19, 2009 7:33 AM EDT reply actions
If anyone can figure out how to reach them...
the announcers are Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa from Fox
by Squirmin' Thurman on Sep 19, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
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