Sixers' Ben Simmons Thanks Those Who Donated to 'The Philly Pledge' Recently
Last week, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons wanted to find a way to get involved with COVID-19 relief in Philadelphia. That comes as no surprise considering Simmons was one of the few NBA players to make a generous donation to Australia months back as his homeland dealt with extreme wildfires.
For this cause, however, Simmons is doing more than just promoting a donation he made. Instead, he put together an entire campaign to promote two large non-profit organizations, which are based in the City of Philadelphia.
Philabundance and the PHL COVID-19 Response are two popular companies, who have become the go-to organizations for those who want to donate to coronavirus relief in Philadelphia thanks to Simmons' project, 'The Philly Pledge.'
Last Friday, Simmons fired up 'The Philly Pledge,' which quickly garnered the attention of the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenny. And in order to help spread the word beyond Simmons' following, the Sixers' All-Star received the help of many other notable professional athletes around the city, including his Sixers teammate, Tobias Harris.
After seeing his pledge project take off over the last few days, Simmons decided to send out a video message, expressing gratitude toward those who not only promoted 'The Philly Pledge' but to those who went as far as making a donation as well.
"This time is very important, very serious," Simmons said in his video. "I think we have to take it that way and show each other support -- that's the reason we have 'The Philly Pledge." Simmons then went on to further explain the mission of The Pledge.
"The Pledge was started to help our community find an easy solution to giving back to non-profits like Philabundance, and PHL COVID-19 Response Fund, who are doing great work in the Philadelphia area," Simmons said. "The site is an information source available for anyone to access and donate if they can. I love this city, and I'm proud to call Philadelphia my home. Together, we can overcome this."
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
