Taylor Swift Raffle Raises Over $30,000 for Domestic-Violence Charity

Taylor Swift Raffle Raises Over $30,000 for Domestic-Violence Charity

Araffle for two Taylor Swift tickets has raised over $30,000 for a charity in Indiana.

The tickets – for a November Eras Tour show in Indianapolis – helped to raise money for Middle Way House, a crisis center for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, based in the city of Bloomington.

“It’s something that has been very popular,” said Carrie Stillions, Middle Way House’s executive director, as reported by the Spencer Evening World, a local newspaper. “We’re very grateful.”

Running from August to October 1, the amount raised by the raffle was reportedly more than the charity raised in all fundraising events in 2022.

“Between the raffle and our sponsorships, this will be our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Stillions told the Spencer Evening World.

Melissa Colman, a local nurse practitioner, who is also on the nonprofit’s board, made the decision to organize the fundraiser in August, Spencer Evening World’s report said.

“Since getting involved with the board and seeing our fundraising needs, I just started thinking, ‘What if we donated our tickets?'” said Colman, who initially bought the tickets for her and her husband.

Newsweek has reached out to Taylor Swift via a representative for comment.

In an Instagram post, the charity announced that the winner of the raffle was a nurse, who would be attending the concert with her 13-year-old daughter.

“We hope they have an amazing time,” the post read.

Newsweek has contacted Middle Way House for comment via email.

According to its official website, Middle Way House was incorporated in 1971 to provide crisis intervention service to the people of Bloomington.

In the 1980s, the organization began to focus on survivors of domestic violence and their children.

“Today, Middle Way House provides meaningful alternatives to living with violence to hundreds of survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking each year,” read a statement on its website.

This latest Taylor Swift-related fundraiser is a stark contrast to another recent event in which a man at a charity auction paid $4,000 for a guitar signed by the singer, only to smash it to bits with a hammer moments later.

Gary Estes, 67, later told NBC it was a joke. “There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it,” he said.

Estes’ stunt was “a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics,” the event auctioneer told NBC.

Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after the debate between the Democratic presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in September.

“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” she wrote on Instagram.

She also urged her supporters to register to vote.

Her endorsement came after weeks of speculation, but polling indicates that it may not have had the desired effect.