Buffalo Bills wide receiver gives back to the Opelousas nonprofit he grew up around

OPELOUSAS, Louisiana (KLFY) — Hope for Opelousas is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a loving and safe environment for the city’s children; one of those kids was Keon Coleman, the last wide receiver in the Buffalo Bills.

Today, Coleman is sharing that love with his hometown organization by bringing in donations from Buffalo.

“All my kids have been through the program,” said Ravin Savoy, Coleman’s mother. “It was a safe place to hang out after school. Often, they came there directly from school.

“It was always going to be a success,” said Loren Carriere, executive director of Hope for Opelousas. “But I feel like through his time here and his connections here, we were able to help him, you know, go reach the stratosphere. And now it’s being shot down into orbit.

Coleman spent his childhood at Hope for Opelousas learning how to build relationships and improve performance in the classroom; he also enjoyed his time playing sports, becoming a star basketball and football player at Opelousas Catholic School.

The talent and life skills he learned at Hope for Opelousas would help him get into college where he would go on to dominate the football world and live the dream of so many college football players.

“With the 33rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman.”

Days after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Coleman took to social media to encourage people to donate to Hope for Opelousas on SOLA Giving Day, attracting the attention of the Mafia Babes, an organization non-profit bringing together all female Bills fans who drive. funding to charities selected by Bills players.

“Our gift is wrapping it in giant Mafia bills, that’s really what the Mafia does best,” said Lara Mckee, vice president of Mafia Babes. “Once we hug a player and they hug us back, it’s just meant to be.”

“When Keon shared it on social media and the Bills Mafia Babes got the momentum going and shared it through their channels. It’s gone crazy,” Carriere said.

With new support from the Mafia Bills, Hope for Opelousas would receive the surprise of a lifetime by raising over $160,000, along with a sense of gratitude from the organization and a sense of pride from of a proud mother.

“An answer to prayer,” Carriere said. “We literally raised the exact amount we needed, you know, to reach our full contribution. I’m just excited about where this can go and what the Lord is going to do to use it.

“It’s always been important to me and my kids to show appreciation,” Savoy said. “Because when people do things for you, especially when they don’t have to, you can be grateful. I am a firm believer in paying it forward.

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