By Jillena Smith
While my daughter was spending the week at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite she was able to participate in many events that the hospital held for the children. One of these events was a meet and greet with Reid Ferguson, Long Snapper for the Buffalo Bills. He brought along his brother Blake Ferguson, Long Snapper for the LSU Tigers.
The kids were able to go down and complete crafts with Blake. He was set up and assisting the kids with making either a megaphone, Jersey keychain or sneaker keychain. The kids really enjoyed this and in between making crafts, Blake was taking pictures with the kids. The kids were then able to enjoy a cupcake and pose for a photo opportunity with Reid.
It was during the meet and greet with Reid that we found out the main reason they were at the hospital. During the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats initiative Reid designed a pair of cleats for the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation. He told us that he chose JDRF because it was near and dear to his heart. His own brother, Blake, was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and the shoes were representative of Blake’s struggle with diabetes. He was there donating the cleats to CHOA because that is where he brother was treated.
The highlight of the day for my girl was finding out that both Reid and Blake were former Long Snappers for Buford High School. Reid graduated early from high school in 2012 and attended Louisiana State University before being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2016. Blake graduated from Buford in 2015 and currently attends Louisiana State University where he is a Long Snapper for the Tigers. It is nice to see that not only do our boys go on to play in the NFL, but they don’t forget their roots and give back to the community.
