J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser Eclipses $10 Million Goal
August 31, 2017The Houston Flood Relief Fund, organized by Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt, has eclipsed $10 million in donations to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
That included a $200,000 donation from hip-hop artist Drake:
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also announced he would contribute:
Other notable donations to the fundraiser included Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart donating $1 million, Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk also pledging $1 million and Miley Cyrus giving $500,000.
And new Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul contributed $50,000 to the fund.
Watt himself kicked off the fundraiser by donating $100,000. His original goal was to reach $200,000, and he released the following message when he began his effort (h/t Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle):
"That's our city. It's very tough to watch your city get hit by such a bad storm and not be there to help… So what I do want to do is, I want to start a fundraiser, because I know that these recovery efforts are going to be massive. There's going to be a whole bunch of people that we need to help get back on their feet and there's going to be a lot we need to do to help rebuild."
Since then, however, the fund has increased its original goal by 50 times. Over 98,000 people have made donations.