Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s multimillion-dollar charitable gift has prompted deeply personal messages from the families it was created to support. The newlywed couple donated $2 million to Answer the Call NYC, a nonprofit that gives financial assistance to the relatives of Recent York City law enforcement officials, firefighters, and emergency personnel who died within the line of duty. Weeks after the gift was announced, several surviving relations thanked Swift and Kelce while sharing how closely their very own lives were already connected to the singer’s music and the football star’s profession.
The $2 million donation was a part of the $26 million Swift and Kelce reportedly distributed amongst at the least 20 charitable organizations before their July 3 wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden. Answer the Call NYC publicly thanked the couple in a July 2 Instagram statement from executive director Lauren Profeta.
“We’re extremely grateful to Taylor and Travis for his or her incredible support,” Profeta said. “Their extraordinary donation will be certain that we are able to proceed to supply much-needed financial assistance to the families of Recent York City’s fallen first responders. We thank them for his or her kindness, their generosity and for his or her success to our collective promise to Never Forget.”
Answer the Call NYC later shared a set of messages from the families it assists, allowing them to specific what the donation meant in their very own words.
The Organization Says The Gift Will Make A ‘Tangible Difference’
In its July 20 Instagram post, Answer the Call NYC explained that multiple families desired to thank Swift and Kelce personally after learning about their contribution.
“Following the announcement of @taylorswift and @killatrav’s extraordinary $2 million gift to Answer the Call, lots of the families we serve desired to share their gratitude in their very own words,” the organization wrote. “Taylor and Travis, thanks to your incredible generosity and for standing with the families of fallen Recent York City first responders. Your gift will make a tangible difference of their lives.”
An NYPD Detective’s Widow Says The Donation Provides Hope
Patricia Polimeni was among the many surviving relatives who thanked Swift and Kelce. Her husband, NYPD Detective Jack Polimeni, died in April 2020. She told the couple that their contribution represented “so far more than a financial gift.”
“It provides hope, comfort and sense of community for families who’re learning to navigate life after the loss of somebody who dedicated their life to serving others,” Polimeni wrote. That concept also carried particular significance for families who lost family members in the course of the September 11 attacks.
Mary Farino, whose husband, FDNY Battalion Chief Thomas Farino, died within the 9/11 attacks, described the couple’s generosity as especially meaningful ahead of one other painful anniversary. “I cannot express how much your donation means!” she wrote.
Farino acknowledged that “this upcoming anniversary of 9/11 can be a tricky one” for her family. Her children were still young once they lost their father. “My children were six and 10-years-old when their dad was killed,” she explained.
Farino then revealed that each of her children had developed personal connections to Swift and Kelce over time. “Later, when my daughter was off to varsity, all she allowed us to take heed to within the automotive on our trips forwards and backwards was Taylor’s music,” she recalled. “My son shouldn’t be only a football fan, he’s a Travis Kelce fan. How special for my family to have you ever honor such an awesome charity.”
One Family Still Remembers Taylor Swift’s Concert Gesture
Allison Garger also shared her appreciation for the couple’s “amazing” donation. Her husband, FDNY firefighter Thomas J. Kennedy, died within the September 11, 2001 attacks. Garger said her family had supported Swift for years and recalled an unforgettable moment involving her son Michael at one in all the singer’s concert events.
“We’ve got been fans of yours endlessly!” Garger wrote. “Taylor, within the rainy concert at MetLife Stadium one yr, you touched my son Michael’s hand, and he has been inspired by you since then. We’re endlessly grateful! Heart-shaped hands endlessly!”
The memory gave Swift and Kelce’s gift an added layer of meaning for a family that had already been touched by the singer long before the donation was announced.
The Couple Donated To At Least 20 Charities
Answer the Call NYC was one in all quite a few organizations that reportedly received support from Swift and Kelce. Their $26 million charitable commitment included donations to nine food banks, with one situated in Swift’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania.
The couple also directed funds toward three children’s hospitals and 7 educational programs.