It would be tough to find a pro athlete who has done more for his or her community than J.J. Watt, and that became even more evident with an announcement his foundation made on Monday.
When Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area last year, Watt started a fundraiser and began pledging a significant amount of his own money toward relief efforts after the storm. As of Monday, that fund had raised more than $41 million and become the largest crowdsourced fundraiser in world history.
The Justin J. Watt Foundation today released the progress of the contributions made to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund started by @HoustonTexans DE @JJWatt 12 months ago. The fundraiser raised $41.6 million making it the largest crowdsourced fundraiser in world history (thread) pic.twitter.com/ru6IngbgJn
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) August 27, 2018
The funds that were raised have been used toward things like providing more than 26 million meals for families and rebuilding homes, child-care centers and after-school programs. Watt says his efforts in Houston are anything but finished, and he released his foundation’s plan for the next 12 months.
Below is a letter from @HoustonTexans DE @JJWatt and the plan for the next 12 months #HoustonStrong pic.twitter.com/jtekz9vMTF
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) August 27, 2018
If you remember, Watt also offered to cover funeral expenses for victims of a school shooting earlier this year. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has made more than $60 million during his career, and he’s a great example of the good that can come of athletes being generous with their fortunes and using their celebrity status to better their communities.
