Therese Forton-Barnes has been a Buffalo Bills fan since she was little, hopping on over to the stadium with her brother when her father came back home at halftime to bring them. Her parents influenced her to become more than a fan of the team; they inspired her to make an impact in the community around her. For Forton-Barnes, there was no better way to give back than to do so through her love of the Bills.

"They taught me to give back to the community and share what you have," Forton-Barnes said of her parents. "And Buffalo was so loved by them and they instilled in [my siblings and I] to love Buffalo [and] to give back to Buffalo as much as you possibly can. And that's what I have chosen to do."

After 62 years of attending nearly every home game and becoming an integral part of the Bills Mafia community all around the world, Buffalo revealed her as the 2025 Fan of the Year.

"It is such a huge honor to know that I am being recognized for things I do in the community," Forton-Barnes said. "And to, especially, make me Fan of the Year for my all-tome favorite football team that I've been watching since I've been a child."

Thurman and Patti Thomas walked into Stitch Buffalo with Forton-Barnes' Fan of the Year jersey, Water Buffalo hat, and cake. All the women she works with to create the iconic hats stood behind her in the special moment. Not only was it one of the happiest days of her life, but she said it was also the first time Forton-Barnes has ever successfully been surprised.

"It was the perfect setting at Stitch Buffalo where I have spent so much time doing this Water Buffalo Club [716] work and helping out the [women there] and changing their lives," Forton-Barnes said. "And they have changed my life."

When she had the deluxe hat design ready, she knew she wanted as many as possible to be made locally in Buffalo. About three and a half years ago, Forton-Barnes was pointed to the founder and executive director of Stitch Buffalo, Dawne Hoeg. The hats brought Stitch Buffalo into the Bills community and the three women who make them never fail to put a smile on Forton-Barnes' face.

"These women at Stitch Buffalo have gone through nothing that we can ever imagine in our lives, and specifically the three women that make the deluxe hats were pretty much torn from their countries," Forton-Barnes said. "They have embraced the project so much that they tell me all the time that the hats have changed their lives and it has created this whole new world of [Bills] fans from different countries that have settled here."

This project with Stitch Buffalo empowers refugee and immigrant women around the world by promoting their artisanry and handmade work. Forton-Barnes and the Water Buffalo Club also contribute to and sponsor the Buffalo Zoo's American Bison exhibit as another way to stay involved with the community. The Club participates in various parades throughout the year, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Dingus Day Parade and Bills Mafia Boat Parade to expand their visibility in the community.

It's an open-door policy at the Water Buffalo Club. Forton-Barnes said the list of community events and impact is ongoing, and she wouldn't change a thing about it. Year by year she loves seeing the Club grow and getting people involved worldwide, not just in Buffalo.

All while being an integral part of Bills Mafia, Forton-Barnes doesn't forget to take time being a dedicated fan.

Despite the poor weather conditions, she was adamant about staying at Rich Stadium in the 1993 AFC Wild Card playoff game, saying she never leaves games because "you never know."

"I wish I knew all the people that were around me because we were hugging and crying and the joy of winning that game and watching the guys on the field and Leonard Smith running around … giving high fives to all the fans," Forton-Barnes recalled. "And I was there. A lot of people say they were there. I was there."

On game days representing the Water Buffalo Club, bringing a little joy into people's lives is the biggest reward. When they see Forton-Barnes wearing her whacky hat, they can't help but smile. It reminds her that at the end of the day, her love for Buffalo and Bills Mafia never fails to give back whether small or big.

"I've never given up. I'm an eternal optimist. I thought [the Bills] were going to the Super Bowl for the past 40 years. I am there [through] thick and thin. There might be two of us tailgating on a cold, snowy day, but we're out there," Forton-Barnes said. "It brings the community together and people that don't typically meet in my everyday life. That, I love that factor of it that brings people together that never would have known each other and that's what the Water Buffalo Club has done too in my life and for everybody else because we all come from different areas, all walks of life. But sports has a way of bringing people together no matter what is going on in the world or in your life. It just makes everybody happy."