Travis Kelce may have the NFL Playoffs on his mind this weekend, but he’s still making time for the Kansas City community.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, recently helped rebuild longtime resident Gloria White’s home after the elderly former athlete’s house fell into disrepair.
Kelce’s foundation, 87 & Running, donated enough money to the Rebuilding Together Kansas City organization to fund the repairs needed at White’s eastern Kansas City home, local outlet KSHB 41 reported this week.
“When we looked at her home, we realized there were lots of other things she needed — a new roof, she needed gutters, she needed safety latches on the doors, she needed work in the bathroom and kitchen,” Scott Hickox, the Rebuilding Together Kansas City executive director, told the outlet.
Once Kelce and his foundation found out, Hickox said the NFL star donated enough money to the organization to cover the repair costs.
“For Travis to care enough and his foundation to care enough about his community and what’s happening in Kansas City, this meant the world he could partner with us,” Hickox told KSHB.
Kelce, whose romance with Taylor Swift has been the talk of the NFL season, had found out about White and her house through former Chiefs player Otis Taylor, who is married to one of White’s relatives, according to KSHB.
The outlet reported that White is an enormous fan of the Chiefs and her house is filled with memorabilia dedicated to her local NFL team, as well as mementos from her own athletic career.
White was a barrier-breaking athlete in her youth, becoming the first Black cheerleader at her Topeka, Kansas middle school. Later, White also competed at the Olympic Trials in Abilene, Texas.
KSHB reported that White’s home was falling apart, however, leading her to call Rebuilding Together Kansas City for help. The organization assessed that White needed a wide range of repairs done to the house, including sewer system repairs, new doors, new basement steps, a new hot water heater, a new kitchen sink, safety bars in the bathroom and fire safety equipment, among other repairs.
The house also needed to be cleaned after raw sewage leaked in the basement, which initially led White to give the organization a call.
Hickox said White was determined to stay in her home rather than move out.
“She desires to stay in this neighborhood and the neighborhood is better because she’s here,” the Rebuilding Together Kansas City executive director said.
“I’ve been here 56 years,” White told KSHB. “They know Miss Gloria. I am about people.”
