Minnesota Vikings surprise single mother of three
On Saturday the Minnesota Vikings surprised a single mother named Shavonne and her three kids by giving them an inside look at the team’s daily activities at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.
The Salvation Army has been supporting Shavonne for the past year through a mentoring program called Pathway of Hope. Through Pathway of Hope, Shavonne received the support and resources she needed to transition her family out of a shelter and into permanent housing. In addition, she is now attending school to become a certified nursing assistant.
To celebrate Shavonne’s incredible accomplishments, the Vikings invited her and her kids to watch an entire team practice and later gave the family a tour of TCO Performance Center.
Highlights of the day included:
- Head coach Mike Zimmer invited Shavonne’s 16-year-old son to lead the Vikings’ post-practice huddle chant.
- Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr (pictured right) spent one-on-one time with the family, gave them jerseys, and offered tickets to this weekend’s game vs. the Buffalo Bills.
- Star players such as Everson Griffin, Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen signed autographs for the family and posed for photographs.
A Salvation Army caseworker named Tracy accompanied Shavonne and her kids at the event. Tracy has been by Shavonne’s side throughout her journey and is proud of how far she has come.
“The family was blown away by this special opportunity – Shavonne said she’d remember it forever,” Tracy said. “Shavonne is thankful to the Vikings and The Salvation Army for recognizing how hard she and her kids have worked.”
One, two, three – Vikings!
Watch a video of Shavonne’s 16-year-old son leading the Vikings’ post-practice huddle chant:
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