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Bills Mafia raises more than $7,000 for Alzheimer's Association

Reid: "WNY DNA in general -- so giving, so loving"
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Posted at 4:20 PM, Jan 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-06 23:34:16-05

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Bills Mafia members have donated more than $7,000 to the Alzheimer's Association.

The organization's Western New York chapter tweeted out a "thank you" to Bills Mafia Monday. "Over a roughly 2-day period, almost 300 individuals donated more than $7,000 in response to negative comments about our beloved city and football team," the tweet said. "THANK YOU #BillsMafia for your inspiring kindness and incredible generosity! And we'll get 'em next year!"

WNY chapter Executive Director Jill Horner said the $7,000 will go directly to WNY families battling through Alzheimer's.

"It's a community pulling together behind something that's impacting everyone," Horner said. She continued, "For all the families who've been impacted, who need a care consultation, a support group, some education, it will go to those families."

Bills fans began donating to the organization after a Baltimore radio host took shots at the City of Buffalo and Bills Mafia co-founder Del Reid.

"To have this giving gene that we have, I'm so proud to be a part of it," Reid said. He continued, "You know how Bills Mafia is and just WNY DNA in general -- so giving, so loving and so I'm not surprised it went the direction it did."

Baltimore radio host Jerry Coleman had a tweet pinned to his social media account regarding his mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis.

"Sports is a lot less important than something like this; I can tell you that," Coleman said following Monday's announcement. He continued, "Hopefully there's no hard feelings. I'm sure there is out there for some Bills fans, but I wasn't calling the city losers. I was maybe referring to the sports team and probably a little too harsh on the radio, but I'm paid to give opinions."

Coleman said what the Bills Mafia did in return -- after learning his mother is in the fight for her life with Alzheimer's -- is something he will never forget.

"What WNY did was unbelievable. It will not be forgotten. There have been a few bad apples spread in there, but for the most part Bills fans have really stepped up, unnecessarily to be honest," he said.

This isn't the first time Bills Mafia has given back in a big way. Bills fans flocked to Andy Dalton's foundation that supports seriously ill or physically challenged children and their families-- after the Bengals helped get the Bills in the playoffs two years ago.