SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has donated $1 million toward fire relief efforts in Butte County, where he grew up before going on to star in the NFL.
Rodgers tweeted a video announcing his donation to the North Valley Community Foundation on Wednesday morning, and asked followers to retweet him using the hashtag "#retweetforgood." His longtime sponsor State Farm will donate $1 per retweet up to $1 million.
"In Northern California, where I was born and raised, the city of Paradise burned to the ground and many of the residents that got out are now displaced in my hometown of Chico and across the north state," said Rodgers, dressed in a black "ButteStrong" sweatshirt.
Rodgers starred at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico and Butte College before transferring to UC Berkeley in 2003. The six-time Pro Bowler won the Super Bowl MVP in 2010 and regular season MVP in 2011 and 2014, and holds the NFL single-season and career passer rating records.
Eighty-one people are known to have died and 870 remain missing as a result of the Camp Fire, which began Nov. 8 from unknown causes. It had burned through 152,250 acres of land and was 75 percent contained as of Tuesday night.
Rodgers' donation will largely be used for housing, kids' programs and youth sports, the North Valley Community Foundation said in a press release. His tweet had been retweeted 26,000 times as of 10:15 a.m. PST Wednesday.
"If any good can come from such utter devastation it is witnessing acts like that of Aaron Rodgers," foundation president/CEO Alexa Benson-Valavanis said in the release. "He has shown up during our greatest time of need. Aaron's commitment to our communities' long-term recovery and to the health and wellness of the children impacted by the Camp Fire are a testament to his heart, leadership, and generosity."
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