The newlyweds included Answer the Call among more than 20 charities receiving $26 million in donations surrounding their wedding

By Pete Grathoff
The Kansas City Star

NEW YORK — The world can be such a negative place, so it was little surprise that some people were upset that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and superstar singer Taylor Swift decided to wed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The complaints were about the security that New York police would have to provide. As it turns out, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a news conference that Swift paid in excess of $160,000 to cover those costs.

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The couple went beyond that to help New York’s finest.

Ahead of the wedding, Kelce and Swift donated $26 million to charities, including Harvester’s and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The newlyweds also gave $2 million to Answer The Call, which is the N.Y. Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund that supports “families of NYC police officers, firefighters, port authority police officers, and EMS personnel killed in the line of duty.”

“Taylor and Travis, thank you for your incredible generosity and for standing with the families of fallen New York City first responders,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “Your gift will make a tangible difference in their lives.”

Answer The Call shared messages to thank Kelce and Swift from people who have been helped by the organization. Nine were shared in that Instagram post. Here is what just two people wrote.

“I cannot express how much your donation means!” wrote Mary Farino, whose husband, New York Fire Battalion Chief Thomas J. Farino, died on Sept. 11, 2001. “This upcoming anniversary of 9/11 will be a tough one for myself and my family. My children were six and 10 years old when their dad was killed. Later, when my daughter was off to college, all she allowed us to listen to in the car on our trips back and forth was Taylor’s music. My son is not just a football fan — he is a Travis Kelce fan. How special for my family to have you honor such a great charity. Answer The Call has never wavered on their commitment to the families of the first responders killed in the line of duty.”

Amanda Rivera, whose father, New York police officer William Rivera was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 24, 2004, said the donation meant the world.

“Early in those first years following my dad’s passing, it was hard to find our way and find support for my mom and me,” Rivera wrote. “We felt so alone in our grief, and thought no one knew what we were going through. Then, Answer The Call came into our lives for the better. We found a community where people knew what the other has been through, and made friends who eventually became family. The organization has given me so many opportunities and experiences that I never thought I would experience like throwing out the first pitch at a New York Mets game, attending concerts, and much more. Knowing that you both decided to support Answer The Call, to support us, means the world to me. I’ve been a Swiftie ever since Debut, and I am a football fan (sorry, Travis. I am a Giants fan, even though the Chiefs are the better team). Thank you, Tay and Trav, for your support and donation. I hope you both know how much we appreciate and love you both.”

You can read more of the tributes to Kelce and Swift on the Answer The Call Instagram page.

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