On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that MOCSA, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, has been named the next beneficiary of the Chiefs Charity Game and will start a three-year term this fall.
Recognized as the top philanthropic game of its type in the NFL, the Chiefs Charity Game continues a long-standing commitment of supporting the local community that was started by team founder Lamar Hunt more than three decades ago.
Today's announcement builds on the commitment the Chiefs made in 2019 to help sustain and expand MOCSA's prevention programs in the greater Kansas City area. National research studies show that violence prevention efforts are exceeding expectations and the club's pledge to aid in MOCSA's efforts reinforces the impact that this effective programming is having in our region by fostering knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that help prevent sexual violence.
"The Hunt Family Foundation and the Chiefs are proud to name MOCSA as the next beneficiary of the Chiefs Charity Game," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. "MOCSA helps victims of sexual assault become survivors through the support, healing and hope they provide. They also work tirelessly to administer educational programs designed to prevent, and ultimately, eradicate sexual violence. We are excited to provide MOCSA with additional resources to enhance the vital work they do in the Kansas City community."
Since 1975, MOCSA has been the only rape crisis center in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, serving victims of sexual abuse and assault across the lifespan, and educating the community about sexual violence. MOCSA's counseling, advocacy, education and prevention services allow the agency to fulfill its mission to improve the lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and sexual assault, and to prevent sexual violence in a six-county, bi-state service area.
MOCSA uses a public-health model to prevent sexual violence and increase awareness about its victim services. Programming includes age-appropriate education, outreach and prevention initiatives for all ages, reaching more than 60,000 children and adults each year. Thirty regional public and private school districts rely on MOCSA to lead these efforts. MOCSA also provides professional training to groups who may intersect with sexual violence.
"We are thrilled to be the recipient of the Chiefs Charity Game for 2021. We've enjoyed a successful partnership with the Chiefs and the Hunt Family over the last few years, and with the funds and awareness raised through the Chiefs Charity Game, together we'll be able to expand our education and prevention services for schools in the Kansas City area," MOCSA President and CEO Julie Donelon said. "Our work to prevent sexual violence through impactful programming helps students become leaders and schools become safer and more welcoming spaces. We are thankful for the Chiefs as they've continued to help us amplify our message that together we can create a community free from sexual violence."
The 2021 season marks the 37th edition of the annual Chiefs Charity Game. Since its inception in 1985, the Chiefs Charity Game has raised more than $14 million, with more than $5.4 million being raised in the last nine years alone. Cornerstones of Care, the game's most recent beneficiary (2018-20), raised a three-year total of almost $1.6 million to support its work and mission.
The Hunt Family Foundation, formerly the Chiefs Children's Fund, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Hunt family in 1983 to support charitable agencies in the greater Kansas City community. Through philanthropy and community programs, the foundation provides vital assistance to more than 125 area charities each year and works to give back to a community that has given so much to the Kansas City Chiefs organization for nearly six decades.
