Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's GoFundMe to advance the lives of the black community in Atlanta passed the $1 million mark in pledges in four days since he started the fundraiser, Ryan announced in a tweet Tuesday.
“From the bottom of my heart; thank you every single person who has donated to my GoFundMe,” Ryan wrote. “Over 1,700 people have donated since Friday and we have raised more than $1 (million) which will ALL go to help support the black community in Atlanta. I’m so moved by how many people have joined me in this mission, but we still have work to do. We are more than half way until we hit the $2 million dollar goal. Please continue to donate and share, as you do, write in the comments your TW/IG handle and I will select some of you at random to highlight in my IG story.
“This week, I’ll be working to continue listening, reading your comments and hearing from leaders in the black community to find (out) how we can make the biggest impact. More news is coming this week, lets go ATL Rise Up!”
Ryan later met with the Atlanta media on a virtual conference call.
“I’m obviously really excited today about the response that has come in the last four or five days,” Ryan said. “I’m overwhelmed by everybody’s generosity and commitment to wanting to make change. We have still have a little ways to go, but people have done an extraordinary job to start this. My hope is that to make a real impact on the city of Atlanta and this community.
“Trying to make a start at improving the current climate and the current situation. There is a lot to be done, but I’m hoping this could be a good start for us. We are getting close to that $2 million point. I just can’t thank everybody that’s committed money and time and just reached out. It means a lot to me. I’m committed to doing the best job that I can with this and make the biggest impact that we can make.”
The total includes some donations from Falcons management and coaches.
As of Monday morning, some of the 287 donors include coach Dan Quinn ($10,000), general manager Thomas Dimitroff ($10,000), president Rich McKay ($5,000) and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter ($5,000). Several other coaches, team personnel and NFL personnel have made donations.
Ryan started the fund with a $500,000 donation Friday. He set a goal of $2 million.
The fund comes in the aftermath of the recent deaths of black men Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick and George Floyd in Minneapolis.
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