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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Kyle Rudolph Hosts Multiple Events to Give Back to Local Community

Kyle Rudolph and Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild hosted the 10th Annual Champions for Children Celebrity Golf Classic at Windsong Farm Golf Club on Tuesday, June 25.

There are numerous reasons why Kyle Rudolph was the Vikings Community Man of the Year honoree this past season.

The Vikings tight end proved the honor fits again this past weekend as he wrapped up multiple days of community impact all around the Twin Cities.

Whether it was a youth football camp or a golf tournament to benefit a cause near and dear to his heart, Rudolph once again showed why he is one of the most respected athletes in Minnesota.

"We're extremely honored to be able to participate in all of these events," Rudolph said. "Like I always say, if we can impact the Twin Cities community and we do a little bit of good, then we're happy."

Rudolph kicked off his busy weekend on Saturday morning by partnering with Hyundai to hold a free youth football camp for 500 kids at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

Participants went through a variety of football agility drills, threw passes and ran 40-yard dashes.

Rudolph, a father of 1-year-old twin girls, said there are few things that gives him more joy than working with children.

"The biggest thing for me is having an opportunity to impact the youth," Rudolph said. "Obviously the youth of America are our future, and this is a simple way that we can come on a common ground — the football field — and have an opportunity to impact their lives."

Dean Mayuga, Hyundai's Assistant Manager for Experimental Marketing, added: "As a family man who has his own kids now, you can see the genuine joy he has in working with kids. It's like a comfort zone."

Karson Schmidt attended the camp for the second year in a row. The 8-year-old had a quick answer when asked about his favorite part of the camp.

"Three-step drop because you practice [being] quarterback," Schmidt said.

Rudolph then teamed up Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild for two days of fun in the sun.

The duo partook in Lord Fletcher's Lake Bash on Sunday at the popular restaurant on Lake Minnetonka. Then, Rudolph and Zucker then hosted the 10th Annual Champions for Children Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence.

The golf tournament has raised nearly $1 million for the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital over the years. The tight end has done plenty of work with the hospital, as Kyle Rudolph's End Zone, a place for patients and their families to play, opened in December.

Rudolph's community work isn't going to end anytime soon. He will also host a two-day youth football camp in Plymouth on July 17-18 before getting ready for training camp at TCO Performance Center in late July.

"It's almost hard for me when we can't make it to an event," Rudolph said. "If we're passionate about it, then we want to go out and help out."

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