Falcons' Jamon Brown raising money for COVID-19 relief aid
ATLANTA - As Americans cope with the coronavirus pandemic changing everyday life, many in the pro sports world have jumped in to raise money and awareness.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman pledged donations to Atlanta metro area organizations. Meanwhile, Falcons guard Jamon Brown is helping his hometown community of Louisville, Ky.
"With everything shutting down, this is the time for us to step in and step up," Jamon Brown told FOX 5 Sports on Tuesday.
The Jamon Brown Foundation started a GoFundMe to provide financial support for two Louisville-area response funds, Mayor Greg Fischer's One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund and the Louisville Restaurant Association.
"They were doing work in the fields that everybody needs help in," Brown said. "What we decided as a team, we kind of sat down and looked at, what are our needs as a city? What can we help? And that's what we came up with."
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the fundraiser had raised $1,429 of the $25,000 goal. Brown's foundation has pledged to match the first $5,000 raised.
"We wanted to be the example that although everything is shutting down, this is a time that everyone needs everyone," Brown said. "There's still little things we can do to help out, and I wanted to be an example and the Jamon Brown Foundation wanted to be an example of although we're shut down, we don't have to stop reaching out and trying to help."