THOMASVILLE- As a young boy, former NFL player Jessie Small never knew the lengths his mother went to on Christmas morning to make sure he had something under the tree. Now an adult, Small works hard to take that burden off other mothers through his Noel with the NFL program.
Saturday kicked off the shopping spree, where Small, Myron Guyton, Chris Guyton, Reshard Cliett, and Paul Miranda took 20 kids shopping at Walmart for Christmas goodies.
Small explained school counselors help him identify which kids would benefit most from the shopping spree, as they are most aware of the need.
Once the students are selected, they are paired up with an NFL player to shop at Walmart.
Small said the experience is his way of giving back to the Thomasville and Boston communities, where he was raised.
“I started it myself three years ago,” he said. “At the beginning, I was doing it all myself, but then I began reaching out to other players to see if they wanted to help.”
The donations made by other former NFL players have allowed Small to increase his outreach, helping elementary-age students at both the City and County schools, along with City and County middle school students.
“I want to eventually be able to help high school students as well,” he said.
Small realizes many of these kids may not even recognize the players, but he wants the experience to be exciting for them.
“We grew up in an area and were blessed enough to go off to college and go off to the NFL,” Small said. “We want to come back and show them that they can do that too.”
In order to help the dream seem achievable, Small invites school officials and deputies from the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office to help the students view all the different avenues of success.
He also has the schools come together to show it doesn’t matter where students attend, success can be found anywhere.
“It just gives me a lot of pleasure to give back to these kids, because I grew up just like them back in the day,” Small said. “Anything to lessen the burden and help a mom who is working two jobs just to put food on the table.”
While some of the kids may not realize the true magnitude of the gift Small and his fellow athletes have given them, the memory will still remain in their hearts forever, as they wear the clothes, shoes, and belts they purchased while shopping with an NFL legend, including the many jerseys signed that morning.