Andy Dalton, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, is an unlikely hero for Buffalo Bills fans.

But Dalton’s improbable last-minute touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday cleared the path for Buffalo’s first playoff appearance since the 1999 season, and grateful Bills fans responded by channeling their excitement into charity. Dalton said that by Wednesday evening, 10,000 people had donated almost $250,000 to his foundation since the game, enough to cover most of the charity’s goals for all of 2018.

Many of the Bills fans donated $17 as a tribute to breaking their 17-year postseason drought.

The Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, named for the Bengals quarterback and his wife, provides money and experiences for seriously ill children and their families in Cincinnati and Fort Worth, Tex. Before the Bills fans’ support, the foundation aimed to give six families each month grants averaging $2,000, for an annual budget of about $144,000. The money helps with medical bills and needed supplies.

But after exceeding the entire year’s fund-raising goals in just two days, the foundation will be able to increase the number of grants it gives or to fund other programs, said Andrea Baker, a spokeswoman. The organization typically receives more applications for help than it’s able to provide, she said.