American football player J.J. Watt donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign in support of the family of a Wisconsin firefighter who was killed in an explosion.
Prairie Fire Department Captain Cory Barr left behind by his wife and two young daughters when a gas leak went terribly wrong. Community members quickly set up a GoFundMe account to help his family cope with his tragic death.
One of Watt’s fans reached out to him on Twitter in hopes of getting him involved.
“JJ Watt please do what you can for Cory Barr’s family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another!” the fan wrote.
@JJWatt please do what you can for Cory Barr’s family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another! #RIPCaptCoryBarr #firefamily
https://www.gofundme.com/benefit-for-the-family-of-cory-barr
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The story hit close to home for the footballer, whose own father served as a firefighter.
It wasn’t long before Watt donated $10,000 to the family, helping surpass the GoFundMe’s $75,000 goal.
This isn’t the first time he has publicly helped those in need.
Watt raised more than $37 million after Hurricane Harvey brought devastation to Texas.
Although he is still recovering from an injury, Watt was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year
