Commanders tackle Charles Leno has been named the NFL Players Association’s Community MVP for Week 17.
It is the fourth time that Leno has been honored by the NFLPA for his annual Leno Claus initiative. Through their foundation, Leno and his wife partnered with more than 20 non-profits over 25 days of service that included helping veterans, people facing terminal illness, foster families, people going through addiction recovery, the homeless, those impacted by cancer and more.
“This year, our annual Leno Claus initiative was dedicated to our fourth daughter Paitynn Maui, who we lost in October unexpectedly to a miscarriage, so it is only right to dedicate this award to her,” Leno said in a statement. “We will continue to pay it forward in each of our communities for the years to come.”
In honor of Paitynn, the Lenos will kick off a new initiative in the spring to provide care packages to children coping with the loss of a sibling.
The NFLPA will donate $10,000 to Leno’s foundation or the charity of his choice. He will also be eligible for the Alan Page Community Award at the end of the year.