Philanthropists Pick up Tab for ‘Batkid’ Day in San Francisco

John and Marcia Goldman pay the $105,000 bill for transforming the City by the Bay into Gotham

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Last fall, the people of San Francisco melted hearts as they turned out in droves to cheer on “Batkid,” also known as Miles Scott, a 5-year-old leukemia patient who got to live out his fantasy of saving the city from villains. Transforming San Francisco into Gotham for a day wasn’t cheap, but local philanthropists have stepped into to pick up the tab.

John and Marcia Goldman, who head a foundation that provides grants for youth, health and the arts in the San Francisco area, paid the $105,000 bill for Batkid’s escapades, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The city says expenditures mostly went toward equipment to accommodate the large crowds who came out to cheer on Batkid as he saved a damsel in distress and freed the Giants mascot from the Penguin.

In December, Batkid reprised his role to help raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which organized his fantasy of being the Caped Crusader, and John Goldman said that the foundation shouldn’t have to pay the city back for putting on the event. “We’ve supported Make-A-Wish for some time,” Goldman told the San Francisco Chronicle. “What a great way to celebrate something really amazing. It brought out the best in the city and showed it to the world.”

[San Francisco Chronicle]