page_title: Rob Gronkowski
section_title: Charity
hierarchical_section_title: Rob Gronkowski / Outside football / Charity
caption_attribution_description: English: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots tight end, runs football drills with participants of a ProCamps event on Joint Base Andrews, Md., July 2, 2015. Gronkowski, a three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLIX champion, coached approximately 100 military children during the two-day football camp. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys)
context_page_description: Robert James Gronkowski, nicknamed "Gronk", is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He previously played nine seasons for the New England Patriots. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a four-time First Team All-Pro selection, and was selected in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
  Gronkowski played college football at the University of Arizona, winning several awards, including being named a Sporting News and Rivals.com Freshman All-American. Despite only playing two collegiate seasons, his 18.8 yards per reception average and 1,197 receiving yards were a team record for his position. The Patriots drafted Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 42nd pick, after missing his junior year due to back surgery.
  Notable for being a skilled receiver and talented blocker, Gronkowski has set several NFL records, including being the only one of his position to ever lead the league in receiving touchdowns in 2011.
context_section_description: Gronkowski set up the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation which is dedicated to "help kids stay actively involved in school and sports and provide them with the tools needed to help them follow their dreams and live a happy and more successful life". The foundation provides grants to sports programs with an emphasis on health, community and fitness. He stated, “I created the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation with my family and my friends, because growing up, I had a lot. I had everything as a kid, from playgrounds to sports, and a lot of people to play with, and thus everything I needed to be successful later as an athlete.”
  Aside from his own foundation, Gronkowski has also regularly helped the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Patriots Foundation. In addition, he annually shaves his head for One Mission Buzz Off for kids with cancer. Noted for being generous with his time and resources, Gronkowski has also done several appearances to New England children's hospitals and schools to support local charities. In 2016, he received the Ron Burton Community Service Award from the New England Patriots for his charitable works and leadership in the local community.
  On March 26, 2019, he accepted the Merit Award from United Service Organizations which recognizes “individuals of outstanding creative talent who are dedicated to serving others through volunteerism, particularly for military.” On April 6, 2019,  he was honored with the Wish Hero Award by the Make-A-Wish Foundation MA/RI for his work on granting the 14 wishes of children with life-threatening sicknesses during his professional football career.
  Gronkowski and his partner Kostek donated more than 20,000 personal protective equipments to hospitals and fire departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
caption: Gronkowski coaching 
  military kids for a two-day football camp at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in 2015.
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