The Unexpected Way HGTV Alum Chip Gaines Celebrated His 50th Birthday

A lot of people tend to associate their birthday with receiving gifts — such as clothes, appliances, or maybe even some cash. However, former HGTV star Chip Gaines — who appeared alongside his wife Joanna Gaines on the show "Fixer Upper" for five years — decided to flip the script for his 50th birthday, giving a hefty sum of his own money to those working to make kids healthy.

On Instagram, Chip announced that he was celebrating half a century on earth by donating $50,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "As I get older, more and more my heart leans toward what's really important in life and asking myself the question, 'What good can I do today?'" he wrote. Chip and St. Jude also set up a campaign where anyone can add to his initial donation. At the time of writing, the they've raised an additional $10,000.

Giving back to the children probably felt like a fitting way for Chip to turn 50. He previously admitted that he felt strange about getting older, as he tries to stay young at heart. "I guess in my mind's eye Peter Pan never turned 50. You know what I mean?" Chip said on "The Drew Barrymore Show" prior to his birthday. "When you've got this Peter Pan syndrome, you've always evaluated yourself through a childlike lens. Then it's just like, how does that sort of co-exist with a 50-year-old reality? I don't know. I just feel sort of like conflicted."

Chip and Joanna Gaines have been fervent supporters of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for nearly a decade. It all started in 2017, when "Fixer Upper" was in the latter half of its run on HGTV. They were tapped to renovate the dining room at a St. Jude facility, and after they got the chance to meet actual patients and their families, Chip and Joanna decided they were in for the long haul.

"Jo and I are kind of all-inners," Chip said in a 2022 interview with St. Jude itself. "When we went to St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee, we came back, and we were like, 'For the rest of our lives, we're going to do whatever we can to support that beautiful organization.'" Joanna added, "When you watch your child sick, even if it's just a skinned knee, as a parent your heart goes out. So, I can only imagine — really, I can't imagine — what these parents are going through. ... If we can help make a difference in those families' lives by supporting St. Jude, it's an honor for us."

Of course, their support goes well beyond the dining room renovation and Chip's recent birthday donation. Per Today, Chip and Joanna have held multiple fundraisers for St. Jude over the years — raising a total of over $1 million for the organization as of 2021.