NFL fans gather in Charlotte as YouTuber Tom Grossi raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WWAY) — Jerseys representing teams from across the NFL filled Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte as more than 100 football fans gathered for a meet-and-greet benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The event was organized by YouTuber and Green Bay Packers fan Tom Grossi, who is traveling to all 30 NFL cities in 30 days to raise money for St. Jude.
The fundraising campaign has already surpassed $500,000, less than halfway through the tour, eclipsing the original goal from a similar trip three years ago.
During his first nationwide tour, Grossi promised to repeat the challenge if his YouTube channel reached one million subscribers. “Three years ago, we came back here and I said when we hit a million subscribers, we would do it one more time,” Grossi said. “So we’re running it back one more time.”
He said the response has exceeded expectations.
“We’re not even halfway through yet, and the fact that we’ve raised this amount of money is crazy,” Grossi said. “The first time we had the goal of $100,000, and we got to $500,000. The idea was maybe we hit a million, and yeah, it looks like we’re going to be hitting a million this time.”
Beyond the fundraising totals, Grossi said the tour has become an opportunity to bring football fans together regardless of which team they support. He said attendees have traveled from several hours away and even from other countries to participate.
“People are taking their time, they’re coming from all around,” Grossi said. “The best part is you look around right now, people are just talking to one another, and this is how you build community. It’s what the best of sports can be.”
Grossi also said he hopes the fundraiser demonstrates that anyone can make a positive impact.”I’m a normal dude. I used to give out homework as a teacher, and you don’t have to have a million subscribers or be any person of notoriety to do really cool stuff and to do good for people.”
Grossi’s next stop on the 30-city tour is Atlanta, as he continues his effort to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Click here to see his Grossi’s YouTube Channel, and here for the link to donate.
