NFL to donate $250,000 to Chargers Fire Relief Fund

Monday, Oct 29, 2007

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association will contribute $250,000 through their Disaster Relief Fund to the Chargers Fire Relief Fund to assist victims of San Diego County’s wildfires.

The fund will be administered by the San Diego Foundation, which will distribute donations throughout San Diego County to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts.

The Chargers’ ALEX and DEAN SPANOS have made a $1 million commitment to aid victims of the wildfires and also to support the community’s firefighting efforts.  The commitment is the largest personal contribution to the relief effort.  The Spanos family made a similar $1 million donation following the 2003 San Diego wildfires.

The team also collected more than $72,500 in donations from fans attending Qualcomm Stadium for last Sunday’s game. These donations will be sent directly to the Salvation Army and families of injured firefighters.  In addition, Chargers fans donated 700 tickets so that fire and law enforcement personnel could attend the game.

Created in 2001 to assist organizations directly and indirectly affected by the events of September 11, the NFL Disaster Relief Fund is a collaborative endeavor of the National Football League and the NFL Players Association.  Its goal is to improve the quality of life and help rebuild communities affected by large-scale tragedies. Since its inception, the NFL Disaster Relief Fund has provided aid to those affected by the events of September 11, 2001, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina.