Donations from Kansas City Chiefs fans are pouring into Buffalo, N.Y.-based Oishei Children's Hospital after the team's win against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 23, with more than $406,000 from more than 18,000 donors, Kristen Bieber, marketing manager of the hospital's foundation, told Becker's.
The donations started with a Jan. 24 Facebook post by Chiefs Kingdom Memes in honor of the Bills' quarterback, Josh Allen.
"Out of huge respect for Josh Allen, I'm donating $13 to his foundation, which supports the Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Hope some of y'all join this, too," the Facebook post said.
Many of the donations are in $13 increments, signifying the number of seconds left on the clock when the Bills pulled ahead with a 36-33 lead, according to The Washington Post. But the Chiefs were able to tie the game in those 13 seconds, leading into overtime where the Chiefs ultimately won.
The money is going toward the Patricia Allen Fund, which is named after Mr. Allen's late grandmother.
Inspired by the initiative, New York City-based sports gambling company FanDuel donated $52,000 to the hospital, with $13,000 for every touchdown Mr. Allen passed to wide receiver Gabriel Davis, according to a Jan. 27 FanDuel news release shared with Becker's.
"Growing up in Buffalo, and forever a die-hard Bills fan, I was proud of how the team competed in last Sunday'’s game despite the outcome," FanDuel CEO Amy Howe said in the news release. "But our company was more inspired by the incredible display of sportsmanship shown by Chiefs fans in support of Bills Mafia, who themselves have a legendary history of philanthropy. This gesture between fanbases inspired us to make our own contribution."
Ms. Bieber said the number of donations is continually growing almost every minute.
"We are so grateful and honored that Chiefs fans decided to celebrate in a way that gave back to our community," Ms. Bieber said.