Kelly Recognized as Jefferson Award Recipient
June 19, 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. – University of Miami legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly will be recognized as a recipient of the Jefferson Award, one of the nation’s top honors for community service and volunteerism.
Kelly will join 16 other recipients from around the country at a Washington, D.C., gala June 19 to receive the 40th annual Jefferson Awards, known as the “Nobel Prize for Public Service.” Alongside Hockey Hall of Fame center Pat LaFontaine and IndyCar racer Charlie Kimball, Kelly will be honored in the category Outstanding Athlete in Service and Philanthropy.
“I feel privileged to be able to do the work I am doing,” Kelly said. “I would never have been able to do it without a team effort, whether it was football, family or charity. I am very blessed.”
Two weeks after he announced his retirement from professional football in 1997, Kelly and his wife Jill welcomed a son named Hunter. Several months later, Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe Leukodystrophy, an inherited fatal nervous system disease. Kelly and his wife started Hunter’s Hope Foundation that same year in honor of Hunter, whose life expectancy was no more than two years but lived until he was 8½. The Kellys bring encouragement and hope to families in the midst of suffering by: funding research necessary to treat and cure Krabbe Disease and other devastating leukodystrophies, increasing newborn screening standards to obtain early detection and treatment for all treatable diseases and much more. Kelly also gives back to disabled and disadvantaged youth in Western New York through Kelly for Kids, a foundation that has distributed more than $4 million to local children’s charities.
“During the years I played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, community service and reaching out to others was such an important part of my role with the team,” Kelly said.
Kelly, who ranks tenth in Miami Hurricanes’ history for career passing yardage (5,228) and ninth in total offense (5,352), was a first-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 1983 NFL Draft. The 1992 University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame inductee would go on to lead the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances from 1991-1994. Kelly, whose #12 is the only one retired in Buffalo Bills’ history, was enshrined in Canton during his first year of eligibility in 2002.
“Not only did I feel that I had a responsibility to give back to a community that I was fortunate enough to be a part of; but I also knew that I had an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others,” Kelly said. “Although my playing days are over; my platform has greatly expanded and my commitment to community is stronger than ever.”
The Jefferson Awards are bestowed in five categories: national recipients, “unsung heroes” at the community level, champion winners (affiliated with companies or organizations), schools, and, for the third time, professional athletes.
