Within 24 hours, more than $140,000 in donations were raised to help fund the relocation of the Confederate memorial in Tampa.
After a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money to move the statue, donations poured in from public figures, sports teams and the community.
"Thank you so much Tampa Bay! With outside donations we are now over $140,000! We couldn't have done it without your help," organizers wrote on the page.
Some of Tampa Bay's biggest names publicly announced they were donating money to help fund the relocation.
Former Tampa Bay Storm owner Bob Gries committed to donating $50,000 and hoped it would inspire others to participate in any way they could.
"I think we all love this community," he said. We love this country and we don't want to see what happened in Charlottesville happen here in Tampa and don't want to see the hate and evil from these groups to continue and flourish. I don't want it happening here in this community. I could do my share and we can all do our share and we'd better for it."
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn donated $1,000 out of his own pocket on Thursday. He shared a photo of his personal check made out to the Hillsborough County BOCC on his twitter feed on Thursday morning.
Not a City statue but I have a moral obligation to do my part. Now take it down. https://t.co/wzfax3OPma pic.twitter.com/geHgD5SiiJ
— Bob Buckhorn (@BobBuckhorn) August 17, 2017
Former Tampa Bay Bucanneers coach and NFL Hall of Famer, Tony Dungy, tweeted that he and his wife, Lauren, will donate $5,000 to move the statue. He also challenged the Bucs, the Rays and the Lightning to help.
Our County says private $$ must be raised to move Confederate statue. Lauren and I are in for $5K. We challenge Bucs Rays Lightning to help! pic.twitter.com/dGRd1BTFkp
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) August 17, 2017
Hours after Tony's challenge, the Tampa Bay Rays, Buccaneers and Lightning issued a joint statement on their plans to donate funds to assist in the moving of the statue.
They released the following statement:
“Recognizing that this monument does not reflect the values of our community, in collaboration with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, our organizations have dedicated funds to assist in moving the statue from the public space in front of the courthouse. Now more than ever before, we must stand united and committed to diversity and inclusion as we all attempt to heal from the tragedy in Charlottesville.”
Commissioners originally said if the money wasn't raised within 30 days, the statue may have to stay where it is.
Now organizers want to know what should be done with the extra funds. They are encouraging everyone to post their suggestions on the GoFundMe page or to contact them at the Gmail account that donors were notified from about their contributions.
