Andy Dalton is quite possibly the most popular man in Buffalo right now. The Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback threw for three touchdowns on Sunday afternoon to take down the Baltimore Ravens, including one with 1:59 remaining to seal the win. With Cincinnati’s win, the Bills were able to make it to the postseason for the first time in 17 years.
Buffalo’s front office has already made it clear it wants to thank the Bengals by sending them chicken wings. As for the citizens of western New York, they decided to go in a different direction by sending money to the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, which looks to “provide daily support, opportunities, resources and life-changing experiences to seriously ill and physically challenged children and their families in Cincinnati and Fort Worth.”
Dalton noticed donations were pouring in on Monday afternoon and sent out this tweet, letting Bills fans know where they could send money.
To all the Bills fans that are donating to my foundation, thank you. We appreciate the support. If you are interested in donating visit https://t.co/9SMNu78Znq
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 1, 2018
The official Bills Twitter account even chimed in to praise their fans and let them know how they could get involved.
Bills fans, you're amazing.
After @andydalton14's last minute heroics, more than 150 of you have donated $3,250+ to Andy Dalton's @ajdfoundation to thank him.
If you'd like to join in on the fun, you can donate at https://t.co/5dPjoitL0Q! pic.twitter.com/v0nzfvv8vU
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 1, 2018
From there, things exploded. Dalton gave an update about how much money had been raised a few hours later…
Update on what the Bills fans have done for the @ajdfoundation. We have over 1000 donors and raised $22,000. Let’s keep this going!!
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 1, 2018
…and two hours after that, another $15,000 had managed to pour in at an absolutely incredible rate.
Update: 1600 donors, $37,000! #BillsMafia we can’t thank you enough! This money is going to make a huge impact for seriously ill and physically challenged kids and their families! Keep it coming!!
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 2, 2018
We are getting 10 donations a minute!
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 2, 2018
Dalton’s update from a full day after the first donation showed just how many Buffalo fans helped his foundation out.
In the 24 hours since the 1st donation came in, over 2500 donors and just over $57,000 and counting! Last update for the night! I will update tomorrow. We can’t thank y’all enough!
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 2, 2018
This is such a cool gesture by Bills fans, who channeled the joy they felt about their playoff drought being over into donating money to a great cause. Everyone involved deserves kudos for this one.
