Rockies icon Todd Helton teams up with charity to wipe out $10,000,000 in medical debt for Colorado residents

A five-time All-Star and a Rockies legend, Todd Helton is giving back to the community and fans who cheered him on for so many years by teaming up with a charity in an attempt to eradicate almost $10 million in medical debts for the Colorado natives.

Helton and RIP Medical Debt announced that they would form a team for this event in Sept. 2023. Beneficiary residents received branded letters from RIP in late September informing them that some or all of their medical costs had been fully settled.

Since the help is being provided as a charitable donation, the recipients will not be required to pay taxes on the funds they receive. The five-time All-Star claimed that he got the idea from witnessing friend and fellow University of Tennessee graduate Ryan Jumonville perform a similar deed in Forida:

"My good friend, Ryan 'Jume' Jumonville recently took care of $100M in medical debt for the people in his home state of Florida. I was inspired and wanted to do something similar for the people of Colorado." - Todd Helton

A non-profit organisation based in New York, RIP Medical Debt was founded in 2014. According to the national charity, it raises money from donations and uses it to help those in need pay off their medical debt.

According to RIP Medical Debt, the organisation has has paid off more than $10 billion in debt and over 6.7 million families' medical debt has been wiped off.

Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements for assistance are those who earn four times the federal poverty threshold or more, or whose medical debt is five percent or more of their gross annual income.

Todd Helton had even teamed up with his friend Jumonville, who works for United Networks of America, assisting with the medical expenses of children, to donate millions of dollars in order to cover the healthcare bills of University of Tennessee employees.

Todd Helton is a people's man, both on and off the field

After playing first base for the Rockies for his entire 17-year career until retiring in 2013, Todd Helton is a beloved personality in the state of Colorado. He was the first player in the 26-year history of the Rockies to have his iconic number 17 retired in Aug. 2014.

The 50-year-old claimed that he has come to the realisation that helping people and improving the world get more important in life as one ages.

"It’s not only gifting money, but it’s how you treat people and how you interact in society. Obviously, medical expenses are sky-high these days. For just a regular family to be able to afford it is almost preposterous. We found a way we can help, and I said count me in." - Todd Helton via MLB.com

Todd Helton had no idea he would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 after falling short in the ballot votes in 2022 and 2023. The slugging first baseman is still getting used to the notion of being a Hall of Famer.