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The Buffalo Bills want leaders who can run, pass and tackle... but this has nothing to do with football.
Last spring, the team put out a call for students who can run with an idea, pass their enthusiam onto their peers, and tackle the challenges that stand in their way.
Two hundred students applied; 30 were granted interviews. Nineteen students are participating the yearlong Student Leaders program, giving them a chance to work behind the scenes at One Bills Drive.
"We got together and wanted to do something where we could give back to high school kids who we felt had the potential to be leaders, and show them the ins and outs of what we do here with the Bills," says Tom Donahoe, Bills president and general manager, who started the program along with the team's community relations specialists, Gretchen Geitter and Michelle Roberts.
The inner workings
The Student Leaders meet at the Bills' Orchard Park office on the first Wednesday evening of each month. The sessions include a leadership workshop with Donahoe, guest speakers from the front office, and planning time for community events. (Student Leaders can participate alongside players in community events, and also plan team-building and fundraising events for their own schools.)
"We have a lot of variety in the program," Donahoe says. "We bring in other speakers, we get them ready for the next game - what their assignment is going to be - and we talk to them about community projects, which will become an even bigger part of the program once the season is over."
The Student Leaders attended all eight Bills home games, working four of them. Among...