Grand Marshal Rob Gronkowski at Boston Marathon 2024: How Many Charities Is the NFL Player Involved In?

Rob Gronkowski, popularly known by his nickname “Gronk,” is widely regarded as the best tight end of all time! He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons and the New England Patriots for nine seasons. He is also a philanthropist and established his foundation, Gronk Nation Youth Foundation in 2013. The 4x Super Bowl champion is scheduled to serve as the 2024 Boston Marathon’s grand marshal today.

For the Patriot great who will be receiving the prestigious 2024 Patriots’ Award, it’s a dual accomplishment. The marathon could not have asked for a better investor after he and his partner, Camille Kostek, showed their dedication to giving back to the country and humanity.

 Rob Gronkowski’s philanthropic side

Apart from being named the grand marshal of the oldest marathon in history, Rob Gronkowski’s Gronk Nation Youth Foundation was chosen as the official charity partner for the Bank of America-presented Boston Marathon. Coming from a privileged background, Gronk once noted, “If we wanted to play in a baseball league, our parents could sign us up, and we could play in a baseball league. I just felt like it was definitely an advantage to have all the tools and all the equipment growing up to help lead me down a successful path.”

Despite being born with the tools to hone his skills, Gronk expressed how the inaccessibility of tool kits and resources can affect a child’s interest in sports. He added that many schools don’t offer steady funding or have the resources for students to sign up for sports. Early in his career, Gronkowski visited several children’s hospitals and donated to local youth programs.

He also helped the Tampa community when a fire at Blake High School burned all the football equipment. Taking matters into their own hands, the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation replaced all the equipment with new kits for the footballers. The overnight Tampa star recalled, “They come out every Sunday to support us, so it was a great opportunity to make a mark in the Tampa community.” Gronk also wore customized cleats on the national stage of game day, partaking in the ‘My Cause, My Cleats initiative’, which shed light on charitable awareness.

Carly’s Club, Big Brother, Big Sister, Wheelchair Superbowl, Kids 2 Camp, Make a Wish, Good Sports, and the Alfond Youth and Community Center are just a few of the organizations they have supported. Furthermore, on Patriots’ Day, an individual or group that embodies patriotism, philanthropy, inspiration, and the promotion of goodwill and sponsorship is presented with the Patriots’ Award. Rob Gronkowski, a native of Western New York, will be honored this year for his joint enterprise with girlfriend Camille Kostek.

The NFL legend and GF Camille Kostek makes the world a better place

Just last year, Rob Gronkowski and his girlfriend founded Voomerang, which he described as “a fun digital sweepstakes platform with the mission of life-changing prizes while raising awareness for various charities.” Last year, Forbes published that the couple was on a mission to match up celebrities and their choice of charities, working with around 1.5 million U.S. charities and making sure it reaches diverse audiences.

Last year, the couple also went to Boston, where Gronk handed over $200 to anyone who’d donate, demonstrating “the good comes back. That is our motto.” He also committed to the Peter Frates Family Foundation, a charity for ALS research, after a Boston College student passed away in 2019 due to the disease. While Rob Gronkowski officially committed to giving back in 2013, the couple has been doing double the good work since they joined hands. As for now, the action will be live in some time as the 2024 Boston Marathon hype gets real.