Travis Kelce didn’t take the field in the Kansas City Chiefs‘ first preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium, but he still made the day memorable for a group of local students.
Kelce invited students from Operation Breakthrough to watch the Chiefs’ preseason matchup from his suite at Arrowhead, according to a post from the Kansas City nonprofit.
The students also got another surprise during their visit: They saw Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce.
“Talk about a suite surprise!” Operation Breakthrough wrote on X. “Thanks to @tkelce, our students experienced the Chiefs’ first preseason game from his suite at Arrowhead! To make the day even more special, they even got to see @dkelce1! Thank you, Travis, for giving our kids a day they’ll never forget!”
The outing continued a relationship between Kelce and Operation Breakthrough that has stretched for years and includes more than $1 million in support through his Eighty-Seven & Running foundation.
Travis Kelce Has Longstanding Connection to Operation Breakthrough
Operation Breakthrough provides early learning, after-school programs and other resources for children and families in Kansas City.
Kelce has repeatedly supported the nonprofit and helped create its Ignition Lab, which opened in 2021. The program gives teenagers ages 14 to 18 access to hands-on training in areas including graphic design, automotive repair, cooking, entrepreneurship and STEM.
Kelce explained how much the organization means to him during a November 2024 appearance on the “Chiefs Kingdom Show” with Mitch Holthus.
He called Operation Breakthrough “one of the coolest places that I’ve ever seen or been a part of.”
“They literally have kids from preschool all the way to 8th grade, and they’re making sure these kids have meals, a safe haven; they get their education, they have good guidance and mentors,” Kelce said.
His involvement started with a much simpler visit.
“It was for Dr. Seuss’s birthday and I was reading to the kids,” Kelce recalled of his first trip to Operation Breakthrough.
The Chiefs star read “The Cat in the Hat” to the children and joked about trying to navigate some of Dr. Seuss’ famous rhymes.
“And when I tell you that I hadn’t read a Dr. Seuss book in forever…I was over there trying to read these things just like these pre-schoolers were,” he said.
Kelce Helped Expand Program for Kansas City Teens
That first visit ultimately led Kelce to become more involved.
“It was beautiful to see what that organization was doing for those kids,” Kelce said. “And it was a little unsettling at the end when I found out that the program stopped at eighth grade.”
That realization helped inspire his work on the Ignition Lab.
Kelce has said his own teenage years shaped his desire to make sure Kansas City students have resources and mentors available during the same stage of their lives.
“I was so fortunate that I had the people around me and the environment around me to make sure I was doing the right things,” he said.
Through Eighty-Seven & Running, Kelce has invested more than $1 million in creating the Ignition Lab and supporting Operation Breakthrough’s work.
The organization describes the program as a place where teenagers from under-resourced Kansas City neighborhoods can explore entrepreneurship and STEM opportunities using equipment, resources and mentors.
Taylor Swift Fans Have Also Supported Travis Kelce’s Favorite Charity
Operation Breakthrough has also received support from Taylor Swift and fans of the newly married couple.
After Swift and Kelce married, fan account creator Olivia Levin organized a fundraiser for the nonprofit as a way for Swifties to celebrate the couple by giving back.
Levin encouraged fans to donate $13.87 — combining Swift’s lucky number, 13, with Kelce’s Chiefs number, 87 — or any amount they felt comfortable contributing.
The Instagram fundraiser raised $17,474.82, while Levin said additional donations made directly through Operation Breakthrough pushed the overall impact beyond $20,000.
Operation Breakthrough later shared a video of children thanking Swift’s fans.
“Taylor and Travis have both shown such generosity to Operation Breakthrough, and seeing that same spirit reflected in their fans has been so heartwarming,” the organization wrote. “Every donation, whether it was $13.87 or any amount, helps create opportunities for the children we serve and reminds them that there are people across the country cheering them on.”
Travis Kelce Gives Kansas City Students the Surprise of a Lifetime With Help From Mama Kelce