Among the many benefits of the Redskins Charity Golf Classic presented by PepsiCo – including a round of golf, networking and mingling with Redskins alumni – is the chance for rookies to get a sense of the team's history and its charitable endeavors.
Their inspiration this year came from longsnapper Nick Sundberg, entering his ninth season in the league, who teamed up with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation last summer to launch a new program, "Loads of Love," a laundry service that installs washers and dryers in schools and youth shelters serving students who lack access to clean clothes.
For the fourth year, the Redskins Charitable Foundation brought together the 2018 team, coaching staff, and alumni out on the course for a great event that benefits children in our community.
The net proceedings from the tournament – put on annually to benefit the WRCF and team's Alumni Association – will be used to launch more than 25 new Loads of Love (LOL) Laundry Center sites, and on Monday, the inaugural LOL online grant application opened to schools and non-profit organizations across the Redskins market area.
"I was excited that all of the rookies were here today and that I was able to get up and speak," Sundberg said. "I had such amazing role models with London Fletcher and Lorenzo Alexander that really showed us how to be a pro, and how to be a pro off the field, and all the right things to do. I look forward to every opportunity I get to pass that information down. Today was just another experience, another time where I got that opportunity."
By the end of the afternon, Jane Rodgers, Executive Director of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, shared that proceeds from the Redskins Charity Golf Classic reached around $300,000 for the second consecutive year.
After the morning's remarks, and a brief video summarizing the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation's impact throughout the region, the tournament began, connecting NFL alumni, current Redskins players and coaches to lead foursomes with those participating.
"As I said to the rookies the other day, these are the guys that have made the platform that we have today," Redskins president Bruce Allen said. "It's a special, special brand that we're proud of."
Among the more than 20 alumni in attendance included Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien (XXVI), Larry Brown, Jeff Bostic, London Fletcher and Mark Moseley. Current Redskins also included Ryan Kerrigan, Brandon Scherff, Alex Smith and more, leading each foursome.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden also got out the clubs, participating in a scramble on the course, where a variety of games and activities – corn hole and bocce ball -- were set up at different holes. Contests also included all-expenses-paid trip to the Super Bowl of Golf for the winning team.
Upon finishing their round, players were treated to a silent auction where they could bid on more than 50 unique items that featured autographed Redskins memorabilia, trips and experiences, before dinner ended the day.
As a regular at the event, tight end Vernon Davis, now the elder of the locker room, was happy to support the Loads of Love program that Sundberg helped initiate.
"Supporting the cause of anything is always tremendous," Davis said. "But to have one of my teammates behind it doing great things in the community is always good to see that, because it also inspired the rest of the young guys coming in, shows that hey, we're football players, but we can do a lot more. We can do things in the community, we can make a change and life has always been about making a difference in this world. I feel like Nick Sundberg is doing just that. That's added motivation and inspiration for me to go out and make a difference in the world."
