Despite going undrafted, Washington Redskins offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus is a seasoned NFL veteran with experience blocking for elite quarterbacks and running backs.
And although Polumbus' "day job" is to protect his teammates, the Colorado product and his wife, Liz, have other endeavors off the field -- away from the cameras and the reporters -- that lead to them being thanked by those with real needs.
Six years ago, the Polumbus family started Tyler's Kids Outreach (TKO) to give back to various communities and individuals in need.
Started in Boulder, Colo, the organization has assisted many in the Washington, D.C., area. On Saturday, in partnership with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Dreams for Kids, TKO will continue its philanthropic efforts at Redskins Park with a football camp for developmentally and physically disabled youth.
"This camp is truthfully one of the most enjoyable events that we put on every year," Polumbus told Redskins.com. "It started in Boulder, Colo., my college town, just as a way to work with kids that wouldn't necessarily get to play football."
Polumbus said the kids involved in the event are "so awesome."
"They go out there and they listen to you so well," he said. "They are physically and developmentally disabled kids that are just looking for a chance to go out and hang out with some people that they might not have a chance to otherwise. It's a lot of fun."
Last year, 14 of Polumbus' teammates showed up to give the kids the opportunity to meet players they have been following for years.
The former University of Colorado Buffalo said it's been "really cool" to see his teammates' outreach, and without their presence it wouldn't be the same.
"There's no doubt that this particular event has gotten better and better every year, especially since I became a Redskin and because I never did it at a practice facility -- No. 1 for the kids, that's really cool just to show up where we actually practice and their on the field where we go every day and they are somewhere where they wouldn't get to go otherwise.
"Second is I've really felt the support of my teammates at this event, because they're just showing up to work like they do every week and it's easy for them to get here and its fun for them to get to do something outside the norm in their own work environment. It's been amazing to have these guys show up."
Eventually, when his playing days are over, Tyler and Liz want to continue their efforts and even assist others in the creation of their own foundations.
"It's certainly something I want to do for the rest of my life and really to the point where we'd like to make it bigger where we'd start an organization where we can run programs for other players that wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to run their own foundation either because they don't know how to do it or they don't want to go through the legal work that is required to start their own foundation.
"That's something that we talk about all the time, that when I'm done playing we can start an organization that helps guys channel money in a legal way without having to run their own foundation."
For more on TKO and its charitable efforts, **visit their website**.
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