Travis Kelce used a fashion show to support Kansas City kids before becoming NFL superstar (Getty Images)
In April 2016, the tight end came up with a different way to support children in Kansas City. Travis Kelce has spent years making plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, but his work off the field started taking shape early in his NFL career. He organised a fashion show that brought local models, children and his teammates together for a charity event. The idea was simple, but Kelce wanted to do more than just show up and lend his name to a cause.
Today, Kelce is known worldwide for his NFL career, but the 2016 event offers a look at an earlier side of the Chiefs star.
His nonprofit, Eighty-Seven & Running, also benefited from the event, according to Shadow Buddies Foundation. “I wanted it to be something fun, something interactive,” he said. “[Shadow Buddies and Operation Breakthrough] were the first two that really got on board to what my mission was and what I wanted to be a part of,” Kelce told the Chiefs’ official website in the April 8, 2016 interview.
The event, called the Walk the Walk Fashion Benefit, took place at Tom’s Town Distillery in downtown Kansas City. It supported Shadow Buddies and Operation Breakthrough, two organisations Kelce had already started working with. For a player still building his NFL career, it was an early example of how he wanted to use his growing platform to help his community. “It’s all for a great cause. I’m just happy that I’ve been able to influence this city and be a part of it. The city has brought me in as one of its own, and I just feel like this is my opportunity to give back and when I can, make a great influence. He was already looking for ways to give back, and he chose a fashion show to bring that idea to life.