Arrowhead Report

Travis Kelce Wins NFL's Charity Challenge With #WPMOYChallenge Fan Vote

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has won the NFL's sixth annual Nationwide Charity Challenge thanks to a massive fan voting effort and will now receive a $25,000 contribution to his charity, Eighty-Seven & Running.

Joshua Brisco

Thanks to a massive online campaign resulting in approximately one million fan votes, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has won the NFL's sixth annual Nationwide Charity Challenge. 

Since December 10, fans have tweeted Kelce's name alongside the #WPMOYChallenge hashtag, pushing Kelce to the top and surpassing once-leading Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Isaac Rochell.

Kelce will now receive a $25,000 contribution to a charity of his choice, almost certainly his own charity, Eighty-Seven & Running.

Through his charity, Kelce helped launch "Ignition Lab: Powered by 87&Running" this summer to help provide opportunities for underserved teens in Kansas City in collaboration with Operation Breakthrough, a Kansas City-based not-for-profit that provides educational programs, healthcare, parent programs and emergency services to Kansas City children and families.

The Charity Challenge, determined by fan voting, is a precursor to the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is awarded during the NFL Honors ceremony. This year, NFL Honors will take place on February 6, on the eve of Super Bowl LV.

Kelce discussed his nomination for the prestigious award in a press conference with members of the media in December.

“Football is just a game,” Kelce said. “We’re talking about life. To be able to help somebody have a better future, being able to lend a helping hand so somebody has a better situation, that’s making a difference.”

Kelce's nomination earned a $40,000 contribution to his charity in addition to the extra $25,000 won in the Charity Challenge. If Kelce wins the Man of the Year award in February, the guaranteed $40,000 for all 32 nominees will become a $250,000 donation, awarded to the winner.

“Getting in this community, showing that we love them too, and we appreciate what they do and that we’re here to help and lend a helping hand when we can, that’s everything. That’s what the Chiefs stand for," Kelce said. "You’ve seen it. It’s not just one guy here and there, it’s every single year you see everybody in this building trying to get back into this community.”

Kelce's work in Kansas City alongside Operation Breakthrough was highlighted in more detail in his Walter Payton Man of the Year profile on NFL.com.

In Kansas City, Travis' charitable focus has been fixed on his partnership with Operation Breakthrough. Some 80% of its clients live on less than $12,000 annually while 65% of the children which Operation Breakthrough serves have experienced trauma or witnessed one or more incidents of violence by the age of five. Candidly, this agency has self-described it's work as being focused on serving "the poorest of the poor" in Kansas City.

Read More: Travis Kelce Announces "Ignition Lab" for Underserved Teens in Kansas City

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Joshua Brisco
JOSHUA BRISCO

Joshua Brisco is the editor and publisher of Kansas City Chiefs On SI and has covered the Chiefs professionally since 2017 across audio and written media.

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