North Minneapolis Boys & Girls Club gets special visit from Larry Fitzgerald

As the Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club in north Minneapolis prepares for the start of its summer programs, it had a special visit from well-known Minnesotan and professional athlete.

Eleven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a team of Bell Bank employees spent the day Sunday helping clean up the club, garden and paint.

Fitzgerald grew up in south Minneapolis and has been a longtime supporter of the Boys & Girls Club.

“A lot of young people are going to be coming through these doors for the rest of the summer, and I want to make sure it’s presentable and looks good for them,” Fitzgerald said.

More than 100 children in north Minneapolis will have access to the Boys & Girls Club’s summer program. This is will be the first time since the pandemic hit they’ve been able to fill the club to capacity without any restrictions.

When kids arrive on Monday, the club will have a fresh coat of paint and be cleaned up and ready for summer. Fitzgerald said this is his way of giving back to the community he considers home.

“You think of north Minneapolis, you know what this community has gone through over the last year and a half or so, and it’s important we have all hands on deck," he said. "And being a young man from Minneapolis, it means a great day that our city is viewed in the right light.”

Fitzgerald was honored as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recipient in 2016 for his volunteer and charity work.