MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Jeremiah Smith is — by all accounts — the No. 1 high school football player in the entire country and one of the best wide receiving prospects to come out of South Florida.
That title brings with it a pretty big platform, and Smith is using his to try to make a difference.
Smith is from Miami Gardens and goes to Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood. Being raised in South Florida, he grew up idolizing other players who came out of the area.
“I looked up to guys like Antonio Brown, Andre Johnson, Xavier Rhodes, Duke Johnson, Chad Ochocinco, all of them guys came through Miami,” said Smith. “Being able to be in that position now is a blessing to me.”
Now, Smith is the one young kids are looking up to, and he wants to use that platform to make a difference.
With that in mind, he and his family have created the Jeremiah Twenty9Eleven Foundation, and their first ever event will be a holiday toy drive.
“Just being able to give back to kids that are less fortunate and being help to help out for Christmas and help parents out and give their kids some gifts for Christmas, that’s all I want to do,” said Smith. “Just to give back to the community I grew up in.”
The toy drive will be held at Scott Park in Miami Gardens on Dec. 23. Families in need of gifts for their children can arrive from 9 a.m. until noon, or until they run out of toys.
They are looking for donations of either toys or money to help buy toys. For information on how to donate or how to receive toys, email angelosmith1978@gmail.com.