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Packers opponent and Ravens guard Kevin Zeitler donates $20k to his hometown Waukesha

Waukesha Christmas parade
Posted at 10:32 PM, Dec 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-14 23:33:42-05

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Rarely can Packers fans cheer for an opponent on the other side. But this week, you can.

Ravens guard Kevin Zeitler is up for Pro Bowl voting, which ends on Thursday. He's allowed zero sacks and zero hits on his quarterback.

But the Baltimore offensive lineman is from Waukesha. The childhood home that he grew up in, is less than a mile away from Main Street, where the parade tragedy happened.

Recently he and his wife Sara donated $20,000 to the United for Waukesha Community Fund. The Ravens matched, resulting in a $40,000 gift.

"To recognize the buildings in the videos. To find out my neighbors were there, and it happened right in front of them and luckily they got away unscathed," Kevin Zeitler says. "It's just a real gut-wrenching feeling. You don't expect things (like this) in towns like Waukesha. You know, me, my brothers, my family? We went every year growing up. Complete heart just sank. The thought of the people this close to the holidays, a life changing event, and even for those who maybe weren't physically injured. The mental strain I'm sure is taking on, from adults to children who were there. Everyone gets the help that they need, more so than anything. This was a very, very dark event. Very traumatizing and I hope everyone gets the help. Everyone can become stronger and learn from this incident."

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