Johnny Townsend continues working to help UF Shands Pediatric Oncology Unit
By Bob Redman aka “Hollywood Bob”
Johnny Townsend has spent years of his life raising funds and donating his time and efforts to help the kids that come through Shands Hospital. It is a passion of his, according to his brother Tommy. 
Townsend’s charity designed to help the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Shands/UF Health is near and dear to him. He wants to get others involved in order to help spread the word. That is the reason behind his foundation’s event last Thursday before the Florida Gators’ spring game.
All the former Florida players that wanted to attend were invited to the north lawn of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It was a rousing success.
Townsend talked about how the concept for the outing changed to help raise awareness. He also said how excited he was to see Gators from six different decades in attendance.
“Great turnout, great turnout,” Townsend said early in the event. “It originally started out as a fundraiser for Pediatric Oncology at Shands Hospital, and we just wanted to find a way to get all the communities together around the University of Florida. We have representation from Florida Blue Key, Student Government, Greek Life and now former players. We have about 80 former players coming through. It’s going to be a great evening.”
Townsend was an All-SEC and second-team All-American punter for the Gators in 2016. He holds several school punting records. He was drafted in the NFL in 2018 and has played there ever since.
Townsend has a special place reserved for him in Gainesville for his philanthropy and his brother Tommy. His brother is a prolific punter from UF and also is currently in the NFL.
“I’m just trying to help out, set everything up and help everything run smoothly,” Tommy Townsend said at the event. “Johnny’s been working his tail off working on this event and been on his computer every day for the past couple of months. It’s pretty cool to see the event actually come to fruition and see that the turnout is absolutely amazing.”
Tommy Townsend said that Johnny loves everything he does for Shands and Pediatric Oncology. So much so, that this is one of his biggest focuses in life.
“He tries to do as much as he can for the cause, and it’s really cool to sit back and see him work and see what he does. It’s amazing what he’s done and the money he’s raised for Shands and the Pediatric Oncology Unit,” Tommy Townsend said.
Townsend was drawn to the cause as a student athlete when his philanthropy mostly consisted of visiting the children at Shands as a member of the Florida football team. The people involved and of course the children made that bond hard to break, even when he finished school and headed off for his professional football career.
“It just kind of happened by chance,” he said. “I got involved in the community service program when I was in school here, and it kind of snowballed into real relationships.”
His organization has an immediate goal that he is fundraising for. He hopes events like Thursday will attract attention and help out.
His foundation will soon break ground on a $50,000 renovation to the pediatric healing garden at Shands Hospital. It will improve an outdoor space where patients can go receive infusions, catch sunlight and break up the monotony of their day.
Check out his video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/embed/n8jaBCGaGYE