On Monday, a Syracuse University alumnus set a goal to raise $12,000 to send about 200 kids from a Houston YMCA to the the Texas Bowl. On Dec. 19 — three days after the fundraiser’s PayPal account opened — Sean Keeley had raised $44,472.17.

The campaign, which can now send more than 1,400 kids to the game, gained popularity on social media as alumni and other Orange fans alike rallied for the cause. Keeley surpassed his original goal in less than 24 hours, and from there he set more markers to pass. Keeley, an SU alumnus, started the campaign on his blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, a sports site where he posts content specific to the university.

After raising nearly $40,000 and “running out of goals to hit,” Keeley decided to set his sights on the number synonymous with Syracuse football: 44. His final goal was to raise $44,444.44 by the end of the week. And coincidentally, it was a $44.44 donation that put them to the final mark, according to Keeley’s tweet.

His original plan to send 200 kids continued rising, jumping from 400, to 800, and to 1,000, before the amount finally settled at 1,450 kids.

Keeley said when several major publications, such as the Houston Chronicle, Post-Standard, numerous TV stations and radio programs and Deadspin, reached out to him throughout the fundraiser, they catapulted the campaign to its current standing. This Saturday, the campaign will gain even more publicity as it will be shown on ESPN.

“It’s just been a steady stream of fans and people giving what they can,” Keeley said. “There were a lot of $44 donations in particular from Syracuse fans.”

He added that the average donation ranged from $10 to $100. And, while it has been a bit of a “grey area,” he said the last time he spoke to Houston Texan officials they said the ticket sales will count toward Syracuse’s ticket allotment.

At this point, Robert Anderson, director of membership for the Houston Texan YMCA, said that it has not yet been decided which kids will receive the tickets. As there are roughly 1,300 kids in that particular YMCA and more than 1,400 donated tickets, the tickets will most likely circulate throughout several surrounding organizations and charities, which Keeley said include local YMCAs, the local youth football program, and Houston Independent School District local military families, among others.

“This will be a very good thing for the kids. We typically serve an under-privileged portion of the youth, so not too many of them have had an opportunity to go to a game,” Anderson said.

This campaign was the brainchild of a man that wanted to do something good for both under-privileged kids and the team he loved. Author of the 2010 book “How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way To Brainwash Your Child Into Becoming A Syracuse Fan,” Sean Keeley said he “bleeds orange” in many of his personal and professional endeavors.

Increased website traffic and twitter followers aside, Keeley said the experience gave him perspective on the potential that he, and the community he created on NunesMagician.com, have to help other people. He said he plans to use it as a machine to further fuel charitable events.

As for future events, Keeley said broadening his scope to reach more people could be his best course of action.

Said Keeley: “We’ve been thinking of many ideas, one of them includes possibly raising money before the season starts and giving out season tickets as the season goes along. I’d also like to explore possibilities of raising scholarships. Right now it’s all discussion mostly, but I have high hopes for the future.”

Published on December 19, 2013 at 11:17 pm