By Kate Bartlett
Buffalo has always been notorious for their Bills football fans, more commonly known now as the Bills Mafia. But what you might not be familiar with is a group called the Bills Mafia Babes. While this group has been around for almost 6 years, it has recently grown exponentially exceeding 27,000 members across international borders. What started as a casual Facebook group of 25, has become a well-established 501c3 focusing on a different Buffalo Bills player’s charity each month. The Villager had the privilege of speaking with Treasurer Leslie Willie to get the full story about the Mafia Babes.
The story begins in February 2016 when founder and current president Kristen Kimmick was frustrated by the treatment of women on several Buffalo Bills fan pages. As a football fanatic, Kristen frequently visited various sites and noticed women were met with a lot of negativity when they posted their opinions. “Women were met with such hostility” she recalls. “Most of their opinions weren’t taken seriously, and a lot of unnecessary rude comments were made.” She decided to branch out and started a women’s only online group for Buffalo Bills fans. She then approached Leslie and Lara McKee (Vice President). Thus, Bills Mafia Babes was born. The vision was to create a supportive environment for women to share their love of the team. They’ve done that, and then some.
The group started as a small group of 25 friends to share their love of football. It has grown steadily over the years, but this past year in particular it has grown exponentially to now exceed 27,000 members. Initially, the structure was intended to be an online support group with no intent beyond a community of like-minded women. However, as the Babes grew, the Bills moved to trademark the original “Bills Mafia” also took a step back from charitable work. Mafia Babes saw the opportunity to give back to the community, and decided to step into the role of a 501c3 organization.
For the past 2 years, each month Mafia Babes has partnered with a different Bills player, family or even the coaching staff to raise money for a chosen beneficiary. “Most players have their own non-profit organizations that they raise money towards. Everyone has a cause that is near and dear to their hearts” says Leslie. The Babes announce the charity and any volunteer opportunities on their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and collect donations. They partner with 26 Shirts and a percentage of all merchandise proceeds sold that month go to the monthly initiative. Some players and generous individuals donate items for online raffles which also garner a lot of interest.
“In 2022, we were able to donate $16,419 to various causes (not including December, nor does it take into account in kind donations or many volunteer hours). Beneficiaries included Open Buffalo ($2,828), P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer ($2,288), and the ALS Association Upstate New York Chapter ($2,369). We also helped fill Christmas wish lists to families in need in collaboration with Hope Rises and Total Sports Buffalo. We put together and delivered everything needed for Thanksgiving dinners to over 210 dialysis patients at ECMC alongside Jordan Poyer, Tyrel Dodson, and Cam Lewis, in collaboration with the Jordan Poyer Foundation, ECMC, and Austin Air. We also volunteered to staff events such as Stevie Johnson’s youth football camps, Dion Dawkins’ Cornhole Tournament for Dion’s Dreamers, and the WNY Women’s Foundation ‘What She’s Made Of’ Women In Sports event held at Highmark Stadium.”
This year, the Babes held their 2nd annual Mafia Babes Tailgate in October hosting women from all over the country. “It was humbling meeting women from all over the US and internationally who planned their travels in order to attend the tailgate.” While the event was free, the Mafia Babes collected $1,855 for Harrison’s Playmakers, a 501-c3 nonprofit foundation coaching and mentoring kids with social, physical and economic challenges. With such astounding growth over the past year, the Babes are ready to plan bigger and better events and more collaborations in the upcoming year.
The group has grown organically from the passion that was innate in the group. These women capture such a supportive sense of community, supporting each other and their favorite team. “You could tell there was a desire to help and give back to the Buffalo community (and elsewhere). These women wanted to make a difference. We are so incredibly impressed with the impact we’ve made, and we’re excited to see what’s to come.”
In light of the recent injury of Damar Hamlin, the Mafia Babes have again proven to be a strong support system and online community for fans. They haven’t individually initiated any fundraising efforts due to the overwhelming success of other platforms. They have assisted in spreading the word and providing guidance to those looking to help. Their platforms have shared information and news as it became available, and helped fans express their concerns, as well as support each other.
This month, the Mafia Babes are partnering with the Tyrel Dodson foundation, which is currently collecting to support people in Buffalo effected by the December Blizzard. More information can be found on their social media platforms Facebook (Mafia Babes), Twitter (@billsmafiababes), and Instagram (@billsmafiababes) and the donation link is bit.ly/DonateToMafiaBabes (case sensitive). “Donors can choose to give to either our monthly cause, or to our operating fund to help us continue this work. We really do operate on a shoestring budget and are 100% volunteer run.”
The energy and drive in the Bills Mafia Babes is remarkable, and if doing good feels good, these women certainly want to SHOUT! (ey ey ey ey) Let’s hear it for the girls and as always, Let’s Go Buff-A-Lo!
Caption:
In 2022, the Bills Mafia Babes were able to donate $16,419 to various causes. One such cause was delivering everything needed for Thanksgiving dinners to over 210 dialysis patients at ECMC alongside Jordan Poyer, Tyrel Dodson, and Cam Lewis, in collaboration with the Jordan Poyer Foundation, ECMC, and Austin Air.