The Houston Texans star’s foundation announced that the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund raised $41.6 million, making it the largest crowd-sourced fundraiser in history.
The YouCaring.com page originally raised more than $37 million, but according to the Justin J. Watt Foundation, money continued to come in after the deadline, pushing the total to $41.6 million
A year after Harvey, $37 million raised by J.J. Watt is changing lives https://t.co/mHR9sTymWC
— JJ Watt Foundation (@JJWFoundation) August 26, 2018
The money raised was distributed to eight nonprofits: All Hands and Hearts, Americares, Boys & Girls Clubs, Baker Ripley, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children and SBP.
“As I reflect on the events of Hurricane Harvey one year ago, the memories of destruction and devastation remain, but they are accompanied by memories of hope, selflessness and the beauty of the human spirit,” Watt said in a statement released by his foundation. “I was fortunate enough to witness that generosity first hand, as the fundraiser that I started with a simple goal of $200,000 turned into an unbelievable outpouring of support from people all around the globe.”
Watt started the fundraiser from his hotel room in Dallas, where the team had to be rerouted after they could not get back after their Week 3 preseason game in New Orleans. He raised the first $200,000 in two hours, and three weeks later, had topped $37 million.
Say what you want about JJ, that he craves attention, or his intentions aren’t pure, the man has raised a hell of a lot of money for the less unfortunate. That’s much more important than how many sacks and swats he gets.
