Football fans continue to reach across state borders and team affiliations to support positive causes.
A week ago, Vikings fans rallied together and **donated more than $200,000 to “What You Give Will Grow,”** a foundation established by Saints punter Thomas Morstead, in recognition of the sportsmanship he displayed during the Divisional round playoff game between Minnesota and New Orleans.
Following the Vikings loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game Sunday, fans from both organizations are carrying on the trend.
On Tuesday afternoon, the **Mike Zimmer Foundation** posted via its Twitter account that a number of Eagles fans had made donations to the foundation. Some of the monetary gifts were accompanied with messages apologizing for a portion of the Eagles fan base that did not display good sportsmanship toward the visiting Vikings.
Corri Zimmer, daughter of Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer, runs the foundation and said that donations from Eagles fans had reached $1,400 as of Tuesday morning. She shared a few of the individual messages with Vikings.com:
*Thanks for being great opponents, from an Eagles fan with love. *
*Happy to support a wonderful cause. Best of luck next season from a diehard Eagles fan. *
From Philadelphia with love – truly sorry for the way Vikings fans were treated in our city. We look forward to meeting you guys in the playoffs for years to come!
"The NFL is filled with passionate fans who just want their team to win," Corri Zimmer told Vikings.com. "We may not have gotten the warmest welcome in [Philadelphia] or the outcome that we wanted, but it's cool to see when football fans from different teams come together to do some good."
The Mike Zimmer Foundation isn't the only nonprofit benefiting after the conference championship.
Conversely, a fundraising campaign started by Vikings fan Jessica Brennan Leibrock is encouraging fellow Minnesotans to truly show "Minnesota Nice" to the Philadelphia fan base by raising money for the **Eagles Charitable Foundation**, a program that supports Philadelphia-area youth through health and education programs.
Posted on the campaign's GoFundMe site is the following:
We have the best fans! We are truly a fan base with integrity, a fan base with heart.
[…]
Let's show them what this fan base is made of and welcome them with our version of some Brotherly Love!
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser titled **“Vikings Brotherly Love,”*** *in reference to Philadelphia's nickname, had raised nearly $10,000 of its $38,000 goal.
