Jersey signed by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce auctioned off for Ontario charities
Online bidding is now open for a certified Kansas City Chiefs jersey signed by both Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in support of a children’s charity in Guelph, Ont.
The #87 jersey was donated to the Linamar Curling for Kids event in support of the Guelph Wish Fund – a charity that grants ‘wishes’ to children suffering from serious illnesses and injuries in Guelph and Wellington County.
“We don’t know how huge it’s going to be, but we’re very hopeful,” Helen Loftin, the executive director of the Guelph Wish Fund, said on Friday.
The Curling for Kids fundraiser bonspiel and silent auction will take place on Feb. 17 at the Guelph Curling Club.
Typically, the silent auction is open only to people who attend the event in person. But because of the jersey, organizers decided that would accept online bids for Kelce’s jersey.
“Given the hype that has happened and the way this has blown up on social media, there’s going to be an online auction of that item and a couple of other pieces,” Loftin explained.
The jersey, and its certificate of authenticity, were donated to Linamar for the fundraiser by Scottie Johnston of Jersey Sports Memorabilia in Oakville. He also donated other signed sports memorabilia, including a signed Patrick Mahomes jersey that’s included in the online auction.
In an email to CTV News, Johnston said his reason for donating the major item is simple – he wants to help raise money for charity.
He also explained how he got the jersey.
“We traded an autographed Doug Flutie New Jersey Generals jersey and an autographed Flutie Argonauts jersey for a red and white Chiefs jersey signed by Kelce and Swift,” Johnston said.
As the Kansas City Chiefs head to the Super Bowl, baseless conspiracy theories are spreading on social media suggesting that the romance between megastar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is part of a secret plot to help President Joe Biden get reelected in 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
All money raised from the sports memorabilia he donated will be split between the Guelph Wish Fund, the Oakville Fare Share Food Bank and the Halton Women’s Crisis Shelter. Proceeds from all other auction items will go solely to the Guelph Wish Fund.
Dave Kavanagh, the employee campaign chair for the Linamar Guelph Wish Fund, said the company knew it was the perfect prize because of how popular Swift and Kelce are right now.
“Our hope is to not only to raise money for the Guelph Wish Fund, but also to raise awareness,” Kavanagh added. “When I woke up this morning, I was online at 5:00 a.m. reading The New York Post and I thought ‘I don’t know how this came about, but it’s pretty amazing.’”
Over the years the bonspiel and auction have raised more than $420,000 for the Guelph Wish Fund. This year they’re hoping to raise more than ever to help more kids and the signed jersey could help them get there.
“It’s just great to extend our reach and the more people that are able to bid, the more likelihood that we’ll have [to grant more] wishes for kids down the road,” said Jessica Hill, the interim executive director of Guelph Wish Fund.
Auction closes
Bidding on the jersey began Friday afternoon and continued into Saturday right up until the 4 p.m. deadline.
Shortly after the auction closed, the winning bid was listed as $21,000 CAD.
In all, 25 bids were entered for the highly coveted jersey.
The next highest earner at the online auction was a Kobe Bryant signed jersey, with a winning bid of $3,600 CAD after 24 bids.
According to the auction website, the winner must be able to pick up their prize in person.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.