Colorado Rockies Legend Todd Helton Joins Forces With Charity to Erase Medical Debt
Former Colorado Rockies slugger Todd Helton is giving back to the community, teaming up with a charity to ease the financial struggles of local fans.
Helton and RIP Medical Debt announced on Monday that they would band together to erase $10 million in medical debt from Colorado residents. In late September, RIP will send branded letters to beneficiary residents telling them that some or all of their medical debts have been paid off in full.
The assistance is being given as a charitable act, meaning recipients will not have to pay taxes on the money they receive.
Helton attributes his latest philanthropic endeavor to Ryan 'Jume' Jumonville, who was one of Helton's best friends at the University of Tennessee.
"My good friend, Ryan 'Jume' Jumonville recently took care of $100M in medical debt for the people in his home state of Florida," Helton said in a statement. "I was inspired and wanted to do something similar for the people of Colorado."
RIP Medical Debt is a national non-profit organization that claims to have helped 6.5 million people pay off over $10 billion in medical debts since its inception in 2014. The company estimates that there is currently $195 billion in outstanding medical debt in the United States.
Helton played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies, who drafted the first baseman with the No. 8 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft.
In 2,247 games, Helton racked up 2,519 hits, 359 home runs, 592 doubles, 1,332 walks, 1,406 RBI, 1,401 runs and a 61.8 WAR – all of which are Rockies franchise records. Helton was named an All-Star five consecutive seasons from 2000 to 2004 while also reeling in four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, a batting title and a constant stream of NL MVP votes in that span.
Helton was a career .316 hitter with a .953 OPS when he retired in 2013, ranking second and third in Colorado history in those categories. The Rockies retired his No. 17 in 2014.
In April 2022, Helton rejoined the Rockies as special assistant to General Manager Bill Schmidt.
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