DENVER (KDVR) — From the time he was an Iowa Hawkeye, to now as a Denver Bronco, Josey Jewell has made it a priority to put smiles on kids’ faces who are less fortunate by visiting various Children’s Hospitals.
“I have always found it nice to be able to give back and see fans and see people around the area just to hear other people’s stories,” the pro linebacker said. “We do have a little free time here and there, so going to the Children’s Hospital in Denver, it’s always fun to go there.”
So, when a former Hawkeye teammate asked him to coach at a special football camp at the end of June back in Iowa, it was a no brainer.
“He told me the whole story, and I was like ‘heck yes I would love to come and do a football camp with you and support that and get the word out,'” he said.
That friend is Los Angeles Rams safety Jake Gervase, and when Gervase was at Iowa, he became close with Megan and Bill Gleeson. The Gleeson’s lost their son Reid this past October to pediatric cancer. Since then, they’ve created the Rally For Reid Foundation.
“It’s really hard to endure this pain and endure this world of childhood cancer and then just stop,” Megan Gleeson, Reid’s mother said. “We knew there was more for us to do. Raising this money for this cause can’t help Reid, but it can help kids down the road.”
When Gervase had the idea to put together a Rally For Reid Football Camp, everybody was on board.
“When I asked all of my buddies who are on various teams in the NFL, right away they were willing to volunteer and hopefully this is a camp we do for years to come,” Gervase said.
Over 400 campers have signed up for this year’s camp, and they have raised nearly $50,000.
“A lot of the funding for childhood cancer research comes from little foundations like us,” Gleeson said. “Only 4% of federal funding goes to childhood cancer, the rest goes to adult cancer.”
Even with Reid gaining his angel wings, he will be looking down on this camp next weekend, cheering on those who continue his legacy. The camp will take place on June 27 in Iowa. To donate, please visit rallyforreid.org.