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Florida State DB Greedy Vance grateful for Dillan Gibbons' fundraising to restore family home
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- Florida State DB Greedy Vance grateful for Dillan Gibbons' fundraising to restore family home
Florida State defensive back Greedy Vance could hear his mother crying during their Thursday night phone conversation.
Which might not be that uncommon for Aniqua Lewis, a single mother who describes herself as an emotional person.
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But this time, her tears were different. They were the good kind of tears. The kind of tears someone has after learning their life just dramatically changed for the better. Because earlier that night, Lewis received news that fueled her with the most optimism she's had during her current predicament.
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One of Vance's teammates, Seminole offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons, launched a fundraising campaign for Lewis on Thursday. He wanted to help Lewis, who has suffered a financial crisis since Hurricane Ida ravaged her home in New Orleans last August.
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Gibbons used his non-profit foundation, Big Man Big Heart, Inc. , and partnership with the crowdsourcing platform GoFundMe for the initiative. He published a GoFundMe page – which explained Lewis' situation and asked for donations – before posting it to his Twitter account at 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
It immediately went viral.
"My mom called me (Thursday) night crying, because she was overwhelmed by the support that my teammates had behind me, and my friends and fans," Vance told the Democrat.
FSU starting quarterback Jordan Travis, one of Gibbons' collegiate ambassadors at Big Man Big Heart, spread the word about the GoFundMe via Twitter. So did quarterback AJ Duffy, wide receiver Joshua Burrell, running back CJ Campbell and linebacker Omar Graham Jr., among others.
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By Sunday, the fundraiser inspired 275 donations and reached $13,226 of its $25,000-goal. Vance's family also received dozens of encouraging messages from Seminole fans.
"Just the support as a whole," said Vance on what has meant the most to him throughout this process. "People saying that they are praying for me. People saying that they wish the best for me. People supporting and donating. …
"Just a simple, 'I'm so sorry to hear that.' Or a simple, 'I'm praying for you,' all of that means something. It's not like I'm looking for anything extravagant. The little things matter, too."
Dillan Gibbons making a difference
Vance initially informed FSU head coach Mike Norvell about his family's situation.
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Norvell suggested that he should reach out to Gibbons, who has built a reputation as a charity savant since starting Big Man Big Heart last August. So on May 30, Vance approached Gibbons in the Seminoles' training room and told him practically everything he needed to know.
Like how Lewis had to share the only functioning bedroom and bathroom with Vance's 14-year-old sister, Jailly, for several months. And how Lewis suffered from spending thousands of dollars on fixing her home. And how she can't afford some of the other necessary repairs that are left to complete. And how she still doesn't have flooring.
Gibbons remembers Hurricane Charley demolishing the roof of his bedroom in 2004. So Vance's story particularly resonated with him.
"My parents had to explain to me that I couldn't sleep in my room," Gibbons told the Democrat about his childhood home in St. Petersburg, Fla. "We couldn't live in our house for a few weeks. That was tough for me. I can remember those feelings. My firetruck bed being completely ruined.
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"But Greedy's family has been through that for a full year."
It's worth noting that Gibbons barely knew Vance before that conversation. Vance had just joined the team, transferring from Louisville to FSU in time for spring football. They also were on different sides of the ball, so there weren't many natural opportunities for them to interact with each other.
"To get the support that he has, it's really amazing," Lewis, who still calls Vance by his legal first name, Jamie, told the Democrat. "I told him that he's really blessed to have people in his life show up for him the way that they have. By him just getting there, with this being his first season, I thought that was truly amazing.
"They don't really – I'm not going to say know Jamie and who he is as a person. He's a really good person, but they don't know that. And for them to help out and not know him, just that piece of the story was wonderful."
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Greedy Vance can repay FSU fans this fall
In his first interview with the FSU media in January, Vance fielded a question about why he wanted to join the Seminoles.
Vance explained that he wanted to move closer to home. Going from Louisville to Tallahassee meant Vance cut his driving distance to New Orleans by almost half. When understanding what his family faced at the time, Vance's decision makes a lot of sense.
And it's a decision Vance hasn't regretted.
"It shows what coach Norvell talks about every day – us having each other's backs and family," said Vance about how his teammates have helped him. "You can always talk about it. But sometimes, it will be put to the test.
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"When that situation came up and I needed help, a lot of them took it upon themselves to support me and help me out."
In his first season at FSU, Vance could compete for a starting job at field and nickel cornerback. The redshirt sophomore played both positions in two seasons with the Cardinals and continued to show his versatility this spring.
The 5-foot-11, 171-pound Vance also brings starting experience. He started nine out of the 12 games he played for Louisville last season, recording 36 tackles, one tackle for a loss, seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
To run with the first-team Seminole defense this season, Vance likely would need to beat out one of the projected starters at the field (Renardo Green) and nickel (Kevin Knowles II) positions. But even if he's not a starter, Vance figures to receive some playing time.
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When Vance's opportunity comes, Lewis has an idea for how he can repay all of the FSU fans who supported them.
"I know he's a great player. But I told him that he has to go out and thank them," Lewis said. "When he's on the football field – the interceptions, tackling or whatever he's doing – that's going to be him thanking them for what they have done for us. He has to go out there and do what they know he can.
"I just want to thank them for all of the support and love they are showing for us. Jamie hasn't even played a game. What they are doing for us is amazing. It's truly a blessing."
To find the GoFundMe page, click here.
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Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's Dillan Gibbons helping teammate Greedy Vance with fundraiser
