As the water levels start to drop caused by Hurricane Harvey, J.J. Watt continues to raise the stakes of his fundraising relief fund for the city of Houston and its citizens.
The Texans defensive end started the campaign on Sunday night with an initial goal of $200,000 that was broken in a mere two hours, with a $100,000 donation from Watt himself. He then raised the goal to $500,00, which was surpassed on Monday, and the donations and goals have incrementally increased from $1million; to $1.5 million; to $2 million; to $3 million; to $5 million; to $6 million, with a new goal aimed for $10 million.
As of Wednesday night, the crowdfunding fundraiser has now reached $8.5 million and continues to inch closer to the new $10 million benchmark.
Watt is determined to make a direct impact, pledging that the donated funds will go straight to the people of the city, as well as food, clothes, cleaning supplies, generators, and clean water. Logistics in Houston are currently challenging, but Watt has lured volunteers to hand deliver the items, and recurited truck drivers and schools to all lend a helping hand in distributing the necessities. He’s enlisted his Texans teammates to personally deliver the goods, too. Texans owner Amy Adams contributed $1 million to the fund, as well as Rockets guard Chris Paul chipping in with $50,000.
Watt is already a fan favourite among Houston fans, and his legacy is cemented as one of the best players in the league, but this should catapult him to truly one of the best humanitarians to ever play in the NFL.
With such overwhelming support, the donation website has crashed several times, but that hasn’t stopped the support.
You can donate to Watt’s flood relief fund here.
(H/T to J.J. Watt)
