Football Player Helps Sick Kids; Now They’re Giving Him a Huge Reward

Justin Juenemann is a member of the University of Minnesota football team but has never actually played a game for the school. That’s because this inspiring young man was making an even bigger impact off of the football field.

Always Giving Of Himself To Others

The Gopher’s backup kicker has spent a lot of his spare time in college giving back to his community. More specifically, Justin has been volunteering at the Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis to help kids in need.

NBC News

Justin’s ongoing acts of kindness didn’t go unnoticed by the other members of his team. His teammates and coaches, along with one of Justin’s favorite kids at the hospital, helped plan a special way of showing appreciation for all that Justin has done for others.

A Generous Kid Gets The Recognition He Deserves

In a heartwarming moment for a remarkable student, Justin was surprised when one of his favorite kids from the hospital, Kyle Tanner, showed up while Justin was gathered with all of his teammates. Tanner, who suffers from a rare bone marrow disease, was handed a t-shirt gun by the team’s coach and went on to fire a white t-shirt right at Justin.

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At first, Justin didn’t realize that there was anything special about the t-shirt. But when he looked closer, he realized that there was something written across the chest of the shirt. Printed in big black letters on that t-shirt were words that expressed gratitude for this “Most Valuable Player,” words that read “Justin, congrats you have earned a scholarship.”

Immediately after Justin realized what the shirt said, his teammates went wild and hoisted their teammate onto their shoulders in celebration.

The only person who had a more enthusiastic reaction to the news than Justin himself was his mom, who screamed in joy when Justin Facetimed her to tell her what had happened.

Fox9

P.J. Fleck, the Gopher’s head coach, hoped that the moment would serve to inspire his team. “[These are] two examples of what our culture can do. What we can do for other people.”

Justin said that the generous gesture will help him fulfill his own dreams “I’m pursuing a Human Resources degree and to continue that and just to help people throughout the rest of my life.”