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It’s always one of the biggest weekends of the offseason when Earl Thomas III returns to his hometown of Orange, Texas to hold his annual camp—but this year was a bit more significant than the rest.

At the outset of the weekend in his hometown, and in front of all the campers at his 4th Annual Earl Thomas Free Football Camp, Earl proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Nina. She said “yes.”

As a part of the incredible weekend, Earl also made a pledge to the school and the community that helped to raise him into the athlete and the individual he is today. No. 29 donated $10,000 to West Orange-Star High School, which will go toward the football and band programs.

“I’m the biggest West-Orange Stark fan there is,” ET said. “I always love to give back to the program to help them out and this year I included the band department, because I was in the band until the 11th grade. Everything I was passionate about in high school, I want to touch and when I drove up here (Friday) I had nothing but chills. So, I know I’m doing the right thing.”

One of Earl’s other traditions is to have a local business, OCARC, make banners and trophies for the annual camp. OCARC staff is usually on hand at the camp. But this year they were unable to attend.

So instead ET went to them.

“Earl and the family wanted us to come to camp this year, but it just wasn’t feasible,” OCARC director John Thomas told The Orange Leader. “But the family has always been very supportive of OCARC. So Earl came to see us because he didn’t want to leave us out.”

Several NFL stars joined Earl at his camp, including his Legion of Boom brothers Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman, former Texas Longhorn and current Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and his Seahawks teammate, running back Marshawn Lynch. Roughly 1,000 young athletes from all over the region were in attendance, and the camp included various workouts, drills and skills tests, as well as a 7-on-7 tournament and team building exercises.

“They’re learning. They’re getting better. They’re taking it seriously,” Earl said of his campers. “It fills my heart with pure joy and excitement for these kids. For them to get to step on the same grass as some of the greats who are out here, it’s just a blessing. You never know what you’re capable of, but as long as you have that vision, it’s supernatural.”

Earl believe strongly in positive motivation, and that is especially true when he hosts his free youth camp. One of the camp’s unofficial mottos is “Hard Work Pays Off.”

And as Earl’s former high school coach, Cornel Thompson, told The Orange Leader, the lessons campers learn internally from ET III are the true value of Camp ET.

“He’s never turned anybody away from his camp who wants to participate. He’s put Orange, Texas on the map and he’s proud to be from Orange,” Thompson says. “These youngsters see Earl doing the things he does, like coming back to Orange to do this camp every year. That makes an impression on them.”

RELATED LINKS

• Thomas football camp offers opportunities for youth (The Orange Leader, June 27, 2015)
• Thomas Camp ready to roll (The Orange Leader, June 25, 2015)
• Thomas gives back in big way to West Orange-Stark (Beaumont Enterprise, June 27, 2015)
• NFL star proposes at football camp (Beaumont Enterprise, June 26, 2015)
• Earl Thomas III 4th annual camp a huge success (KFDM, June 26, 2015)