University of Tennessee athletes – present, past and future – took advantage of their platform to give back to the community over the holidays.
From toys and sports equipment to food and blankets, Vols spread good cheer to hundreds of less fortunate people before Christmas arrived last week.
Faizon Brandon didn’t wait to officially join the UT football program before doing some good in the Knoxville area. The quarterback signee, who will enroll at UT in January, held a toy drive to benefit patients at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
The North Carolina native solicited financial donations from the public, purchased toys, and then personally delivered them to the children in the hospital while wearing an orange Vol sweatshirt and candy cane Santa hat.
“Giving kids some gifts and really just going to see them and trying to cheer them up today,” Brandon explained of his goal. “Since the holidays are coming and Christmas is coming up, just giving them some gifts and trying to put a smile on their faces.”
Brandon was accompanied by his parents as he went from room to room, conversing with the children and their families, tossing a football around and even holding a baby.
“My family, ever since I’ve been little, every time you’ve had the opportunity to help somebody, they always told me you always go help them,” Brandon says.
Current UT football players Jalen McMurray and William Wright also collected and delivered toys to children at the Boys & Girls Club of Tennessee Valley and ETCH.
“The Children’s Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club is something that I have been volunteering at throughout my entire career here, so being able to keep contributing and give them one little holiday gift before I leave has been a great thing,” Wright says.
Warm holiday greetings
UT wide receivers Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews also had the help of their families as they hosted their inaugural Braylon and Mike Hope for Homeless blanket drive. The two raised money to purchase blankets, jackets, socks, gloves and beanies for people in need.
“It means a lot to me. It’s always more than just about football,” Matthews says. “It’s about the journey that it takes you on and the people we meet. Just being able to impact other people, it means a lot.”
After purchasing the cold-weather supplies, Staley and Matthews held an event at Karms Chapel in Knoxville to pass out the donations and provide a meal for the homeless.
“I play football up here and I want people to see me outside of football,” Staley says. “It’s life after football – just recognize me as a respectful and gift-giving young man that takes care of his community.”
UT men’s basketball player Jaylen Carey teamed with Dick’s House of Sports in Knoxville to provide 23 children from the Emerald Youth Foundation with a shopping spree through the store.
Each child received $300, with Dick’s House of Sport providing $150 and Carey individually matching the amount.
Carey’s UT teammates Nate Ament, Felix Okpara and Amaree Abram joined Carey at the event, signing autographs and posing for pictures with the children.
“I wanted to impact the Knoxville community,” says Carey, a transfer from Vanderbilt. “The way they gave to me, I want to give back to them.”
VFLs with Volunteer spirit
Former UT offensive lineman Trey Smith gave back to 20 families for the holidays through “Trey’s Holiday of Hope.” In partnership with the United Way of Greater Kansas City, the two-time Super Bowl champion provided families with gifts from their grocery and holiday wish lists. Smith helped 10 families in Kansas City and 10 families in his hometown of Jackson, Tennessee.
“I had a lot of great Christmases, but my family never let me lose sight of those in need that didn’t have the same blessings and opportunities,” Smith told the Jackson Sun newspaper. “They should still be afforded the same Christmas experience that I’ve had in my life. I’ve been blessed tremendously, and I think it’s only right that I give back to a place that’s given so much to me. The Jackson community means the world to me.”
Former UT basketball All-American Grant Williams gave back to his hometown of Charlotte in multiple ways this holiday season. In a tradition that dates back to his rookie season in the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets forward gave out gifts to more than 400 employees of the Hornets in the front office.
“As players, we don’t realize all the things that go into what it takes to run an organization every day,” says Williams, who is rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered last season. “We always gift our training staff or our strength staff, people who work directly with us, but there are a lot of hands behind the scenes that do so much for us that we never realize. So, I just want to show appreciation to them during the holiday season.”
Williams also partnered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Carolinas to provide children with a shopping spree at Macy’s. Each child received a $500 gift card. Several other Hornets teammates came along with Williams to help the children shop and find gifts for themselves and family members.
Providing an exhaustive list of all the goodwill done by past, present and soon-to-be UT athletes this year would require several more pages of writing. But the examples given showcase how many of them take the university’s “Volunteer spirit” motto to heart.
“We kind of realized how blessed we are, playing for the University of Tennessee,” Staley says. “It’s always good to come back and give back to some people that are in need.”