Kelce’s Beach Bash a Smash
Raises More Than $860,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation Over Two Days in Sea Isle
Sea Isle City was once again the epicenter of all things Eagles Autism Foundation with Jason Kelce’s fourth annual Team 62 fundraiser on June 26 and 27. The two-day extravaganza began with a family-friendly event, ended in a “Beer Bowl,” and raised a staggering $865,000. And counting.
It all began so simply four years ago when Eagles Autism Foundation director Ryan Hammond suggested that the Eagles’ All-Pro center and fan favorite leverage his celebrity status with a guest bartending event at the Ocean Drive. It has turned into a charitable behemoth.
It gets bigger every year.
It raises more money every year.
And it’s an annual showcase for the heart and enthusiasm that make Sea Isle City a town that not only supports its own, but also consistently advocates for the autistic community.
The 2024 rendition of the fundraiser was dubbed the “Beach Bash” and took place in three parts. The first part was the “Eagles Takeover at Excursion Park,” a new event designed to allow children and families to participate in the day’s festivities.
From noon-3pm, Eagles fans of all ages flooded into Excursion Park. Decked out in Eagles green, fans posed for photos with the giant “Birds” sculpture in the center of the park, participated in the all-abilities drumline, cheer, and football clinics, and purchased snacks and merch from the vendor booths. Some lucky fans even had the opportunity to buy a little Eagles swag from Jason Kelce himself, when he stopped by the event to meet and greet the fans in attendance.
Part 2 of the fundraiser was the guest bartender event that began at 4pm at the Ocean Drive, though the line began to form at 5am and was wrapped around the block by 10am. “Enthusiastic” is too small a word to describe the spirit of the fans who poured into Paddy’s Green and The Sandbar for the chance to party with Kelce and his friends, family, and teammates.
For four hours, the Ocean Drive was a veritable three-ring circus of Philly-style philanthropy. Eagles stars past, present, and future, including Kelce himself, Brandon Graham, Beau Allen, Jake Elliott, Fletcher Cox, Landon Dickerson, Dallas Goedert, Avonte Maddox, Todd Herremans, Sydney Brown, and more poured drinks, posed for photos, and signed almost anything and everything, including at least one forehead.
Eager fans clad in every style of green celebrated with green Jell-O shots, chugging contests, flip cup games, and photo ops with Jason’s wife Kylie and mother Donna. Through it all, an army of hard-working staff members from the Ocean Drive efficiently served drinks, and kept the fervent crowd under control.
With an event as gleeful as this, it’s easy to lose sight of all the effort that goes into it. Though Kelce, who on March 4 retired after his 13-year career with the Eagles, was fully aware of it.
“I just show up and drink beer, so I got the fun part,” he said. “Kylie and the entire Eagles Autism Foundation team put in countless hours of time, work, sponsorships, and everything that goes into setting up today so that the players can just come here and have fun."
The third and final event of the fundraiser stretched into the next day at the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, where Kelce hosted the raucous 2nd Annual New Heights Beer Bowl, which was filmed for New Heights. That’s the No. 1 sports podcast that he cohosts with his brother, Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who in the past has participated in the Sea Isle event.
While all three events were built on a bedrock of fun, the cause they support makes a serious impact. Since launching in 2018, the Eagles Autism Foundation has raised more than $20 million, with every dollar raised going directly to the cause.
Funds raised by the Eagles Autism Foundation are used for groundbreaking research, community grant recipients that help families dealing with autism today, and post-doctoral fellowships in the field of autism. In recognition of the organization’s incredible impact, the Eagles were recently honored as one of four finalists for the ESPN Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award.
And the efforts of Kelce’s Team 62 and everyone who supports it continue to make a growing contribution to the cause. The first guest bartending event, which was planned in one week, raised $50,000. The second one raised $100,000. Year 3 raised the stakes to $500,000, and this year surpassed them all with a total that continues to inch closer to $1 million.
None of this would be possible without the support and effort of so many people in the Sea Isle City community, including the tireless staff at the Ocean Drive who donate all of their tips to the foundation.
In the end, Kylie Kelce, who is a senior event consultant with the Eagles Autism Foundation, summed up the whole event perfectly in a social media post: “The enthusiasm and generosity around this event never ceases to amaze me. People can say what they want about Philly and Eagles fans, but it’s things like this that make it clear why we are so proud to be a part of this community. We might throw snowballs at Santa, but we’ll also throw money across a bar and chug some beers to support people with Autism!
“This would not have been possible without the support of the generous people who attended, the tremendous guest bartenders, our incredible sponsors, the city of Sea Isle (including SICPD), the @philadelphiaeagles and @eaglesautism, the @newheightshow team, the Yacht Club of Sea Isle, and of course, @theoceandrive.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Pencil us in for Year 5 on 6/25?”
Will do!
How to Support the Eagles Autism Foundation
For more information on the Eagles Autism Foundation, its mission, impact, and fundraising opportunities, and how you can make a donation, go to philadelphiaeagles.com/eaglesautismfoundation.
