BUFFALO, N.Y. — As members of the Bills Mafia continue to nurse a broken heart over the Buffalo Bills overtime loss Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round playoff game, Kansas City fans are helping the community heal with donations to a cause close to their heart.
In a Facebook post Monday "Chiefs Kingdom Memes" posted a donation link to the Patricia Allen Fund encouraging fans to donate. The post read in part, "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."
Hundreds responded to the post, saying it was a great idea, adding that they donated to the cause.
As of 9:48 a.m. Thursday, John R. Oishei Children's Hospital says $312,800 has been donated so far from over 15,800 people. This total is up from $60,000 on Tuesday.
Then on Thursday evening, FanDuel announced that it would donate $52,000 to the children's hospital.
"That’s $13,000 for each Josh Allen to Gabriel Davis TD in last Sunday’s epic showdown vs. KC," FanDuel said in a tweet.
“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,” Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel, said in a statement.
“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.”
According to Oishei, while some donations have been made locally, a majority of the donations are coming from the Kansas City area. Andrew Bennett, vice president of the Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, says it's "a great reflection of sportsmanship."
"We are so thankful to the entire community in Kansas City for thinking of us," said Allegra Jaros, hospital president for Oishei Children's Hospital.
Jaros added, "I see it not only as a recognition of Josh [Allen] and the children's hospital that he supports, but I also see it as a really great recognition of our Buffalo fans and Bills Mafia and the fact that this community is recognized for being a giving community - it makes me so proud to be a Buffalonian."
On Tuesday morning, Oishei posted on Twitter that despite the heartbreaking loss, they're grateful for all of the generous donations. The post read in part, "Our hearts are warm this morning waking up to $13 donations coming from @ChiefsMMZ @Chiefs fans! Thank you all so much, your support helps ensure great care for the kids and families in WNY."
Those who donated to the Patricia Allen Fund are helping Oishei in several different ways. According to Bennett, money donated to the Patricia Allen Fund is allocated to Oishei's trauma program, its emergency department, and its pediatric intensive care unit.
"Each of those parts of the hospital require continuous improvements on equipment, talent, training, staying up to date with the very best in practice, ways to care for families," Bennett said. "Our patient family experience as well, which includes many different resources in the hospital that we support on an annual basis, because they're not eligible to be reimbursed or covered by insurance."
Bennett added, "We try to make an impact in as many areas as we can throughout the year."
Oxford Pennant also chimed in on Twitter Tuesday afternoon saying it is matching the next $3,000 in donations to Oishei from Chiefs fans. Oxford Pennant added that its playoff fundraiser also raised about $10,000 for the hospital.
In response to Oxford Pennant's tweet, Charlie Hustle Clothing Co. in Kansas City responded saying "Count us in for $1,300!"
"A huge thank you to all the folks in Kansas City, and really throughout the country, for thinking about the hospital and thinking about Josh [Allen] during this time," Bennett said. "We're very, very grateful and those dollars will be put to good use."
Back in October, Oishei Children's Hospital unveiled the "Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing" on the 10th floor of Oishei Children's Hospital. The recovery wing was unveiled after Buffalo Bills fans across the globe donated $1.1 million to the hospital after the Bills' quarterback's grandmother passed away in November 2020.
The wing includes a playroom, now named the 'Bills Fans Fun Zone', to honor the 27,000 fans who donated in Patricia Allen's memory.
To learn more about the Patricia Allen Fund, click here.