‘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,’ organisation says.

Travis Kelce has helped ensure a Kansas City resident won’t have to vacate the home she has lived in for 56 years.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was able to help Gloria White, an elderly former athlete, through his foundation 87 & Running. According to KSHB, when Kelce heard that White’s home needed repairs, he donated enough money to the Rebuilding Together Kansas City organisation, a nonprofit that makes essential repairs to Kansas City homes, to cover them all.

Kelce reportedly heard about the work White, a former cheerleader, needed done through word of mouth, as the outlet reports that one of her relatives was married to former Chiefs player Otis Taylor.

White had originally called Rebuilding Together Kansas City after she realised her home needed multiple repairs. According to the outlet, in addition to sewage leaking in the basement, the steps down to her basement were broken.

 

“When we looked at her home, we realised 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, executive director of Rebuilding Together Kansas City, told the outlet. “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.”

In total, the house required more than 16 repairs, including a new hot water heater, and a new screen for her front porch.

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The repairs mean that White can now stay in the home she has lived in for more than half a century, and which she said she has used to help others in the community.

“I’ve had all races of kids in my backyard. I’ve taught them; don’t ever think you can’t wait; keep on and you pursue it,” White said. “I’ve been here 56 years. They know Miss Gloria. I am about people.”

Kelce began his foundation 87 & Running in 2015 as a way of giving back to the community where he plays football. According to the About Us section on the foundation’s website, its goal is to help “underserved youth strive to become productive citizens by mentoring and motivating them to explore and develop their abilities while learning critical life skills”.