Shortly before their Madison Square Garden wedding, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made a powerful move by donating $26 million to various charities.
One of the charities that received funds from the newlyweds is responding with gratitude for much-needed money that will make a real difference in the lives of people who have lost loved ones due to acts of heroism.
Answer the Call
That orgnization is Answer the Call, an organization that raises money for the N.Y. Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund.
Answer the Call provides financial support for “families if NYC police officers, firefighters, port authority police officers and EMS personnel killed in the line of duty,” notes the organization’s website.
Thanks to Taylor and Travis
On July 21, Answer the Call shared an emotional letter via Instagram to thank the couple for their generosity.
“Taylor and Travis, thank you for your incredible generosity and for standing with the families of fallen New York City first responders,” the organization wrote in the post. “Your gift will make a tangible difference in their lives.”
Personal Messages from Families
Answer the Call also included several letters from those who would be personally benefiting from their donation, explaining just how much of a difference it would be making for them.
“I cannot express how much your donation means!” wrote Mary Farino, who lost her husband, New York Fire Battalion Chief Thomas J. Farino, on Sept. 11, 2001.
“This upcoming anniversary of 9/11 will be a tough one for myself and my family,” Farino continued. “My children were six and 10 years old when their dad was killed. Later, when my daughter was off to college, all she allowed us to listen to in the car on our trips back and forth was Taylor’s music. My son is not just a football fan — he is a Travis Kelce fan. How special for my family to have you honor such a great charity. Answer The Call has never wavered on their commitment to the families of the first responders killed in the line of duty.”
A Supportive Community
Another letter came from Amanda Rivera, who lost her father, NYPD officer William Rivera, in 2004.
“Early in those first years following my dad’s passing, it was hard to find our way and find support for my mom and me,” Rivera wrote.
“We felt so alone in our grief, and thought no one knew what we were going through. Then, Answer The Call came into our lives for the better. We found a community where people knew what the other has been through, and made friends who eventually became family. The organization has given me so many opportunities and experiences that I never thought I would experience like throwing out the first pitch at a New York Mets game, attending concerts, and much more. Knowing that you both decided to support Answer The Call, to support us, means the world to me. I’ve been a Swiftie ever since ‘Debut,’ and I am a football fan (sorry, Travis. I am a Giants fan, even though the Chiefs are the better team). Thank you, Tay and Trav, for your support and donation. I hope you both know how much we appreciate and love you both.”
A Gesture of Generosity
Just ahead of the couple’s wedding, a rep for Swift and Kelce confirmed to People that they had donated a total $26 million to several different charities in New York.
In addition to $2 million for Answer the Call, other charities to which they donated included City Harvest, the Food Bank for N.Y.C., New York Cares, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Harvesters in Kansas City, Brad Paisley and Kimberly Paisley’s The Store in Nashville, Helping Harvest in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Feeding America, ASPCA, Grammy in the Schools and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
