Nebraska and Minnesota in a charitable showdown for $5 Bits of Broken Chair trophy

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are competing for more than a win on a football field Thursday night. The teams and their fans are competing for a trophy - with an obscure name - for local charities.

Nebraska and Minnesota fans are trying to out-fundraise each other to give back to their designated local charity and win the $5 Bits of Broken Chair trophy. For the Cornhuskers, it’s the Team Jack Foundation that supports pediatric brain cancer research. Minnesota fans’ donations go to University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital to be put toward the Casey O’Brien’s Team One Four Infusion Center Transformation fund.

According to the Team Jack Foundation, the broken chair fundraiser has raised $150,000 for the two charities since 2017.

“It’s exciting to have fundraisers like this and just a fun way to raise money,” Kylie Dockter, Executive Director of the Team Jack Foundation said. “But people should understand that the impact that they make, whether they donate a dollar or a thousand dollars is huge and it’s really making a difference in kids lives here in Nebraska.”

While the game is tonight, donations are accepted throughout the weekend. You can donate by visiting the Broken Chair Trophy website.

Both teams have surpassed their $15,000 fundraising goals this year. As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Minnesota is in the lead with $16,619 raised while Nebraska has $15,836.

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