Buffalo Bills players are participating in the My Cause, My Cleats campaign

This coming week in the NFL, players from across the league will be taking part in the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats campaign. This campaign allows the players to design their own cleats in ways that will represent a charity or cause that is close to their hearts. All players will be permitted to wear their customized cleats during every game in Week 13.

Players will have the opportunity to raise money for their causes by auctioning off their cleats at NFL Auction, where fans can place bids on them. Also, for every ticket purchased to the December 9th Buffalo Bills home game against the New York Jets, five dollars will be donated to a player’s cause of your choice.

Several Buffalo Bills players (and one former player who is representing a cause near and dear to most Buffalonians) have taken to social media to let everyone know who or what they are wearing their special cleats for.

Long snapper Reid Ferguson will be supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) which is the leading global funder of type 1 diabetes research:

Fullback Pat DiMarco will be representing the American Cancer Society. He chose this cause last year as well.

Wings Flights of Hope Inc. will be represented by kicker Stephen Hauschka. Based out of Orchard Park, New York, this non-profit organization helps to provide free air transportation for medical and humanitarian purposes to those in need.

Jerry Hughes will be wearing these special cleats to support Veterans One-stop Center of WNY, which has provided free services and resources to over 10,000 veterans to date:

The IMagINe for Youth Foundation’s creator, Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde, will be proudly displaying his customized cleats in Week 13. The organization’s website states that their mission is “to support children who face financial hardships reach their potential by providing the necessary resources, supplies and equipment to allow them to excel athletically and academically.” In this recent tweet from Hyde, he along with several other Bills players can be seen serving Thanksgiving dinner to kids in the community for the foundation:

Offensive tackle Jordan Mills will be wearing cleats for The Jordan Mills Foundation, which was created by him and his wife, Talasha. During the bye week, Mills went back to his hometown of Napoleanville, Louisiana and, with his foundation, served Thanksgiving meals to residents.

Defensive end Trent Murphy tweeted a video of his cleats, which were customized to support The Venison Donation Coalition. According to their website, “The Venison Donation Coalition consists of representatives from sportsmen’s clubs, non-profit organizations, regional food banks, local food pantries as well as local, state and federal agencies whose objective is to secure funding for the processing and distribution of venison to families in need.” It is based in New York State.

Offensive guard Jeremiah Sirles will not only be wearing his cleats for Tyson’s Treasure Chest Foundation, but he also recently matched donations to the foundation in order to help aid with research for pediatric brain cancer.

Eddie Yarbrough has supported the Special Olympics Colorado for a long time and will continue to do so this coming week. Students at Grandview High School helped to design his cleats, as shown in this recent Instagram post:

Yarbrough also revealed his new cleats on live video to Special Olympics Colorado gold medalist Chaz Moss and invited him to Sunday’s game against the New York Jets:

Although currently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former Buffalo Bills long snapper Garrison Sanborn will be wearing very special cleats in memory of Sally Kabel, a little girl nicknamed “Sweet Sally Sunshine” who passed away in September at the age of six after battling with infant leukemia. Sally was a huge Buffalo Bills fan, along with her family (Dad Matt is the co-founder of the NYC Bills Backers), and people still wear yellow or gold, the color ribbon associated with childhood cancer, in memory of her. All proceeds will go directly to the Kabel family through the Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander’s ACES Foundation states that their vision is “implementing collaborative programs to help youth realize their value and are capable of achieving their ambitions and dreams” and he will be sporting his cleats to represent them:

Rookie quarterback Josh Allen will be representing the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Central California Chapter. Their website states that “compared to other blood cancer nonprofits, LLS is the largest funder of cutting-edge research to advance cures” and that they’ve invested more than $1.2 billion in research.

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital will be represented by rookie offensive lineman Ike Boettger. The hospital was founded in 1919 and is Iowa’s only comprehensive children’s hospital. It is also ranked highly by many national entities.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins is known for helping children which is probably why his cleats will be representing Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, New York. The hospital was the first in New York State to establish a hospital-based Cerebral Palsy Clinic and is the only freestanding hospital in the state.

Jack Frost, a patient at Oishei Children’s Hospital, recently visited Dawkins to help decorate his cleats. The Bills left tackle along with rookie quarterback Josh Allen had some surprises for Frost as they presented him with tickets to this year’s Super Bowl.

Wide receiver Zay Jones is supporting Alzheimer’s Association WNY for the My Cause, My Cleats campaign this year. Their website states that “The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.” Almost 400,000 New Yorkers are living with this devastating disease.

Shaq Lawson’s cleats will be representing the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The foundation is the world leader in a search for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and their site states that “nearly every CF-specific drug available today was made possible with our financial support.”

Ryan Groy will be supporting our veterans by wearing cleats representing Operation No Person Left Behind Outdoors. Their website states that “ Operation No Person Left Behind Outdoors (NPLB) aids in the recovery and rehabilitation of injured service members from all eras who endure the lifelong sacrifices they made for our country. Operation No Person Left Behind Outdoors (NPLB) supports injured Soldiers, Sailors, Coasties, Airmen and Marines by reintroducing them to hunting, fishing and life outdoors. Volunteers offer their time and skills to aid in the emotional recovery of our veterans through outdoor activities with fellowship and encouragement to overcome any disability.”

Cornerback Ryan Lewis will be representing Orange Arrow, a non-profit organization founded in 2013 to “coach young student athletes to aim for success off the field.”

Here are the other Bills players that are participating in this campaign:

• Corey Bojorquez, Lung Cancer
• Charles Clay, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and Southern Tier
• Taiwan Jones, RISE (Equality in Sports)
• Deon Lacey, Black Belt Community Foundation, Inc.
• LeSean McCoy, Shades of Greatness
• Harrison Phillips, The Playmakers Organization
• Jordan Poyer, Camp Good Days & Special Times
• Tremaine Edmunds, Foster Care Awareness
• Kyle Williams, The Barham Foundation
• Sean McDermott, Food Allergy Awareness
• Terry Pegula, A Lending Paw

Make sure to check back as we will update with new posts, pictures, and videos from the players showing off their cleats and talking about their causes.