Reed helps Boys & Girls Club ‘Imagine the Possibilities’

MOULTRIE – Andre Reed wants to return to Moultrie one day and see Colquitt County High football in action.

Visiting for the first time, the former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer was the guest keynote speaker Tuesday at the 8th annual Boys & Girls Club of Moultrie-Colquitt County Founders Banquet. But not only has Canton enshrined the four-time Super Bowl participant, Reed is also a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hall of Fame joining the likes of Denzel Washington, Magic Johnson and Jennifer Lopez. Reed is a Boys & Girls Club ambassador, and his Andre Reed Foundation based in Allentown, Penn., supports the club and other charities.

So Reed didn’t want to talk about his football statistics, Pro Bowls or Super Bowls … but he couldn’t help but bring up how he always hears that his Buffalo teams were the only in NFL history to lose four Super Bowls in a row. He would ask those people what they were doing that Sunday when he was playing in the biggest game of the year. That’s an example, he said, of people who will let you fall, but the Boys & Girls Club will always be there.

“We share the same values,” said Reed about the other major celebrities who grew up in Boys & Girls Club. “It inspires kids to be the best in their community.”

Reed said in Allentown he was, since the age of 6, at the Club all the time – with no internet available – playing with flat footballs and basketballs.

“Somebody cared … they still care,” said Reed. “I felt safe. There was no yelling.”

Perhaps the greatest highlight of his life so far, according to Reed, was his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, but he said nobody gets their by themselves.

“They are in this jacket, ring, bust,” said Reed about all a Hall of Famer receives upon induction. “A lot of people believed in me. What I became was because of that.

“(In Buffalo) we were a team of character people. That’s why we went to four Super Bowls. Football was a privilege.”

It all came back to the Boys & Girls Club, and Reed said no matter who you are, all are welcome.

“Start your legacy now,” said Reed to the youngsters in attendance, which included Colquitt County High football players. “You are being watched.”

This being Reed’s first visit to Moultrie or anywhere in the southwest Georgia region, he was thankful for those who were a gracious host, including local Boys & Girls Club CEO Joseph Matchett IV. His message to the adults was to be a part of the future of local youth, and he said a thanks for already making an impact.

Jim Matney, Boys & Girls Club of Moultrie-Colquitt County board chairman and CEO of Colquitt Regional Hospital, said the Club met its goal for the past year of raising more than $100,000.