'Mafia Babes' teams with Colvin Cleaners' 'Coats for Kids' to collect winter items for community

By Michael J. Billoni

Senior Contributing Writer

During the 2016 Buffalo Bills season, Kristen Kimmick hit a breaking point over the judments and glass ceilings faced by women in sports and women fans of sports, especially the Bills and the National Football League. She grew tired of the inability to speak about the sport and team they love on most social media platforms without judgment.

Believing she was not the only woman who felt this way, Kimmick began a private Facebook Group with 25 like-minded women and christened it “Bills Mafia Babes.”

“As the group organically grew, it became clear we were not the only women who felt this way,” Kimmick explained.

As women added their friends and family to the group, the rapid growth led to Kimmick recruiting Lara McKee and Leslie Wille to assist her. Over the past eight years, the Facebook Group has snowballed in membership and online presence with an X (formerly Twitter) account of 36,000 followers, and Instagram and public Facebook pages of 15,000.

With so many loyal followers throughout the world communicating online about the Bills, football, and giving back to help others in their community, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit was created, The Mafia Babes, to assist with charitable endeavors.

Recently, the Mafia Babes announced it is honoring Bills top draft pick, Keon Coleman, and his famous “bright yellow winter jacket,” by collecting winter coats and accessories during October for the annual Colvin Cleaners “Coats for Kids” program.

“Our mission as a nonprofit is channeling the passion of Buffalo Bills fans into charitable acts to do good for our community and beyond,” Kimmick explained. “We select a different nonprofit organization each month, which we highlight and then raise funds for their cause, organize supply drives, and provide volunteers. These charities are chosen to honor or support Bills players and their favorite causes. Sometimes we work directly with a player's charity, like Dion Dawkins and his Dion's Dreamers, and Micah Hyde and his Imagine for Youth organization. Other times, we support a charity that a Bills player is passionate about. It was Keon Coleman’s yellow jacket that led us to Colvin Cleaners’ ‘Coats for Kids’ program.”

Coleman, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver who played his college football at Michigan State and Florida State, arrived at his first Buffalo Bills press conference wearing a bright yellow winter jacket. He told reporters it was “A nice ‘lil deal” he got, because “my momma taught me to buy cold weather gear in the summer.” Though it was late-spring when Kimmick, McKee, and Wille saw the newest Bill wearing the coat, they immediately thought of the great need for warm coats and accessories in Western New York during the winter.

Kimmick noted that’s what led them to Christopher Billoni, vice president of Colvin Cleaners, and the “Coats for Kids” program. “We envisioned it as a perfect partnership, because Colvin Cleaners has the infrastructure in place to ensure the success of the drive, and all the coats will go to WNY families and children in need of winter wear.”

She added, “It is a perfect start to our community work for the 2024 Bills season.”

“The severeness of Buffalo winters aren't a secret,” Kimmick noted. “We have seen frequent blizzards and Code Blue's, but Buffalo is the City of Good Neighbors. They always come through in taking care of our neighbors who may not be in a position to prepare for our severe weather. As warm clothing is a necessity, this October coat drive is perfect timing to collect these items so they can be distributed to those who can make use of them before the bitter cold weather sets in.”

In commenting on the collaboration with Bills Mafia Babes, Billoni echoed Kimmick’s sentiment: “We are beginning to gear up for another busy winter of collecting, cleaning and donating tens of thousands of winter coats and accessories to many organizations throughout WNY. So, this drive has come at a perfect time for us. The generosity and creativeness in this community never ceases to surprise us, and the Mafia Babes are amazing in what they have done to support so many causes in our region.”

The Mafia Babes have established locations throughout WNY where winter coats and accessories for kids and adults can be donated through Oct. 31. A list of those locations is on its Facebook page. Additionally, since many Mafia Babes live outside of both WNY and the U.S., organizers have created a link for financial contributions that will be used to purchase coats for this initiative (bit.ly/buffalo-coat-drive). The Mafia Babes have also created a shopping list at Amazon with deliveries going directly to Colvin Cleaners (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1HAGZXJZUBFWW?ref_=wl_share).

For more information about donating winter coats and items, call Colvin Cleaners at 716-873-2952 or visit www.coats4kidswny.com.

As Kimmick reflected on the amazing growth of the Mafia Babes, she said, “ It's been an incredible experience watching thousands of women, who have felt similarly isolated, be able to come together, make new friends to watch games with, and always be kind and support one another in any way they can.

“Being a Mafia Babes member brings about feelings of being ‘safe’ to speak and ask questions, no matter how silly you may feel they are. It's a warm and inviting space to be able to share our thoughts and excitement about our passion for the Bills. It's incredible to see the love and kindness passed on by this group, along with the community.”

Kimmick has many favorite moments of the Mafia Babes work in the community, but she loves talking about an odd experience that occurred in Las Vegas when several team members converged for the 2023 Pro Bowl.

“One of our Babes happened to find (Bills’ tight end) Dawson Knox's wallet on the ground,” Kimmick explained. “How lucky it was a Bills fan who found it! She took a photo, covered up his personal information, and posted it to the group hoping someone could assist her in getting it back to Dawson. Lo and behold, someone close to him happened to be in the group, and they were able to reconnect Dawson with his wallet, all within an hour of him losing it.

“The power of the Babes is something to be rivaled.” 

Kimmick added, “Recently, we worked to fundraise money for the Special Olympics. When the day came around, we were invited to the tournament. The amount of work, detail and organization that goes into the Special Olympics is incredible, but seeing the smiles and excitement of the Olympians was truly what made everything so special. It truly was a reminder to us about why we do what we do.

“Last year, we worked with (former Bill) Jordan Poyer to collect, sort and distribute Thanksgiving bags full of everything needed to make a Thanksgiving dinner. We then joined Jordan and several of his teammates as they went to the dialysis unit and passed the bags out to patients. It was so special, not only for us to see, but for the players, and especially the patients.”

Kimmick, who said she does not believe there are similar Babes organizations with other teams, outlined two main goals for the Mafia Babes: “First, growing this female-only Facebook group community to continue generating cohesiveness and prove we deserve a seat at the table,” she explained of the all-volunteer group. “The second is to continue coming up with new ways to help the Western New York community by tying the generosity of Bills fans with our love for the players into ways we can continue helping those in need. By working with a different charity each month, we can spread the love and generosity to many different organizations, helping multiple different kinds of needs life may bring upon someone.”

“The one goal of the Mafia Babes that we all agree with: Supporting our hometown Buffalo Bills. Go Bills!” she said with emphasis.