Every Christmas morning, Latisha Webb-Ferguson and her four children would open their hearts.
They would make the 20-minute drive to Atlanta, where they would distribute food, clothing and toys to homeless families.
“We would do that for two, three hours, then go back home and have Christmas,” said Jordan Ferguson, a defensive end for Middle Tennessee.
This is a special time of year for Ferguson, whose Blue Raiders face San Diego State in the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. With his next sack, the 23rd of his career, Ferguson will set the school record. It will be a unique situation for Ferguson, who prefers to give than receive.
“My mom is big on community service,” Ferguson said. “It rubbed off on me with that.”
Webb-Ferguson, whose birthday is on Dec. 25, encouraged her children to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas.
“She wanted to show us we didn’t have it as bad as we thought,” Ferguson said. “There are other people out there who need more help than we do. She showed us a different side of life. She wanted to help people who weren’t as fortunate as us. We’re all humans. We can help people in different ways and impact their lives.”
Last year, Ferguson began attracting name, image, likeness (NIL) offers. “I wanted to use the money to grow, and not just spend, spend, spend,” Ferguson said.
He founded a non-profit organization. Deflecting the spotlight, he named it Hands Worldwide.
His first event was distributing 50 plates of food and water in Atlanta. “Soon as we found the hot spot, people would be swarming the car,” he recalled. “After five minutes, the food was gone. We didn’t have anything else. I was like, ‘next year, I have to turn it up to 100 plates.’”
Another time, his group distributed blankets to the homeless.
This year, Hands Worldwild sponsored a Thanksgiving event near Middle Tennessee’s Murfreesboro campus. This time, 350 plates of lasagna, spaghetti, salad and dessert were distributed.
Because the Blue Raiders were preparing for the bowl game, Ferguson decided to “change it up a little bit,” and organize a giving tree. Hands Worldwide bought or accepted donations of toys that were distributed to children. Helping others, Ferguson said, “was an early Christmas gift to myself.”
Ferguson credits his mother. “She worked so hard and never made any excuses,” he said. “She always found a way to be successful. She did it for her kids. And she believes in me. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today, or as successful with the non-profit.”
