‘Fixer Upper’ Stars Chip and Joanna Gaines Donate $1.5M to St. Jude Children’s Hospital

Former Fixer Upper hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines made a huge donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The TV star couple handed over a whopping $1.5 million check to the hospital and also donated a new playhouse to the St. Jude Target House, a long-term housing facility for families of patients, according to Fox News.

“When we heard that the space outside of Target House could use a little love, we knew right away that we wanted to create a sweet playhouse for the kids to enjoy,” Joanna Gaines said during the presentation ceremony. “There’s something so special about spending time together outside and while we’re hopeful that these families will not have to stay here for very long, we wanted to create a retreat for them to explore while they are here.”

The playhouse the couple donated was of their own design.

“When we were designing this playhouse, we knew we wanted it to feel whimsical and fun — that was the inspiration behind details like the colorful flowers in the flower boxes and the sweet kitchen area,” Gaines added. “Our hope is that this space brings a bit of joy to the families here.”

The money was raised through a social media campaign the Gaines sponsored called #ChipInChallenge. Their initial target was $500,000. But with the help of other celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, and Kacey Musgraves, the campaign ballooned to over a million dollars.

The donation will be put to expenses for families of children with cancer to make sure they don’t have to pay for housing or food, or even a bill for treatment at St. Jude’s.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.