EAGAN, Minn. — Blake Cashman pumped his fist toward the sky in triumph as his teammate snagged the interception and sprinted down the field.

But the player who'd made the pick wasn't a Viking.

Rather, he was a local elementary student from Northside Child Development Center, part of Catholic Charities Twin Cities, who joined peers ages 8-12 on a recent trip to Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

"Oh, this is a very fun day," Cashman said, looking around the Indoor Playing Field buzzing with the young people's energy. "I think it's one of those events that everybody enjoys. You know, we get to run around on a beautiful facility and throw the ball around and play games with the kids. And what I love about is this brings back a lot of memories from when I was that age.

"That interception sealed the game," he added with a smile. "It's fun to see these kids laughing and enjoying themselves, and also competing a bit."

The Northside Child Development Center is part of National Courage House Network, sponsored by the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation.

A seven-year NFL vet, Cashman is well aware of the Ed Block Courage Award, presented annually to a player from each team in the league voted as a model of inspiration, sportsmanship and courage. Cashman also has become familiar with the foundation's larger mission to support at-risk youth and last summer visited Northside for an impactful afternoon.

So when the Vikings athletic training staff decided to invite youth to the team facility for a football camp, Cashman was all-in.

The linebacker was joined by multiple teammates, including J.J. McCarthy, Brian O'Neill, Joshua Metellus, C.J. Ham, Harrison Phillips and 2025 first-round draft pick Donovan Jackson. Additional rookies, including former Golden Gophers QB Max Brosmer, also participated.

Vikings Vice President of Player Health and Performance Tyler Williams and his staff helped lead drills, played games and connected with the young people.

"It takes you right back to your childhood to see the pure joy on their faces, just to play," Williams said. "I think nowadays in today's society, sometimes we just lose the essence of pure play. So, it's been really fun to have them out to our facility … and allow them to experience some of what our players experience.

"I saw one kid as he took a picture of J.J. McCarthy and right afterwards had this beaming expression on his face, like, 'I can't believe that just happened,' " Williams continued. "It's neat to see that because, at the end of day, even all these players, they were those kids at one point in their life. There're so many things in this world that tell us you can't do things. So for them to meet some of these guys and see them in their own element as normal, everyday people, I think it gives them a sense of, 'Well, I can make my dreams come true too.' "

Williams tipped his cap to Assistant Athletic Trainer Lexus Blunt, who had been passionate about organizing and bringing the special event to fruition.

Blunt had the opportunity a few years ago to visit Ed Block Courage Foundation's original Courage House in Baltimore and has since been inspired to increase influence within the Vikings Courage House here in the Twin Cities.

She reiterated the impact of having players engage with the youth and also noted the importance of her colleagues participating. Blunt and her female athletic training peers especially enjoyed showing the girls who attended it's possible for women to pursue NFL careers, as well.

"I believe representation matters, so that was important to me," Blunt said. "I told our staff, 'It's important for the kids to see players but also all of us, as well.' Because sometimes you don't know what you can be until you see it, right? So I think it's huge for the little girls.

"A lot of people don't hear about athletic training until college or so," Blunt added, "but they can [see here] our dietician, they see some of our interns, our students who are still in school, so they kind of get the whole feel of it, which I think is really cool. I'm big on that."

Christa Troup, Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Catholic Charities, echoed Blunt's sentiments.

"I think it matters to see it firsthand, and that's why an event like this can be so impactful," Troup said.

"Working with Ed Block really establishes these connections," she added. "Catholic Charities is more than 150 years old, but sometimes people don't understand we have the Northside Development Center as one of our programs. So having something like this with the Vikings really helps bridge that."

Tina Crow serves as Community Engagement Director for the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation and is grateful for NFL teams and specifically their athletic training staffs for helping invest in their local communities.

"Lexus and Tyler reached out and wanted to have the youth out here at the Vikings facility, and it's just been incredible," Crow said. "These kids are out here, they're playing football with NFL players they watch on Sundays, and it's truly something special.

"We're working with our 26 other facilities across the country we work with [in connection] with other NFL teams, and we're going to keep sharing ideas like this, to keep those relationships going," Crow added. "It's not just about the players. [The trainers] are in an environment inspirational to these kids, so we're thrilled that the Vikings staff wanted to do this. We're going to keep getting them more and more involved, and they're going to be leading the charge."