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Camryn Bynum pays football success forward with PH outreach programs

Fil-Am Camryn Bynum continues to make waves in the NFL.

Article (news)

Yong Chavez

TFC News

<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ofx59T9MNJk?&amp;ab_channel=ABS-CBNNews&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>A crucial member of the Minnesota Vikings’ defense team, Camryn Bynum performed so well as a starting safety in the last season.So much so that he was among select players to receive a bonus from the National Football League.The Filipino-American was drafted into the NFL in the middle of the pandemic in 2021.But football stardom was a path that did not come easy for the athlete.&quot;I wanted to be as good as possible,&quot; said Bynum. &quot;Growing up through high school, I wasn&#x27;t always the best player. I found my coach, and he really helped me fall in love with it [and] helped me take my game to the next level.&quot;Asked of his struggles in finding his way into the NFL, Bynum recounted that he was among the &quot;smaller&quot; kids back in high school.&quot;In my sophomore year, that&#x27;s when a lot of players that are in the NFL now, a lot of them were the stars early in high school,&quot; he said. &quot;And for me, that wasn&#x27;t the case. So I had to really figure out my way.&quot;Bynum added: &quot;My coach really found ways to make me better and make me fall in love with his technique and not just worry about athleticism.&quot;To football fans aware of Bynum’s impressive tackling record, he is one of the league’s rising stars.But to the kids he is helping in the Philippines, most of the time he is simply &quot;Kuya Cam.&quot;<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/08/23/nfls-camryn-bynum-brings-football-and-faith-to-ph">NFL&#x27;s Camryn Bynum brings football and faith to PH</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/11/23/fil-am-nfl-star-camryn-bynum-holds-humanitarian-work">Fil-Am NFL star Camryn Bynum holds humanitarian work </a></div>&quot;It&#x27;s cool because they&#x27;re curious about the game of football,&quot; Bynum said. &quot;One thing about Filipinos, they’ll always be proud of anybody doing something in the spotlight, so I&#x27;m Kuya Cam still but they&#x27;re starting to realize, ‘Oh, football, that&#x27;s what he does.’&quot;Using his own resources, Bynum founded “Camp Beezy,” a football camp in the Philippines where, together with NFL friends, he teaches Filipino kids how to play the sport that he loves.  He held a two-day camp in Cebu province, where he and his foundation, Bynum Faith, partnered with a local church.They also provided essential relief packs to people affected by a massive fire in Lapu-Lapu City.&quot;During football season, you&#x27;re around so much, which is a blessing,&quot; the Fil-Am athlete said. &quot;[You are] around a lot of people with a lot of money and people are always telling you how good you are.&quot;&quot;But being able to go there and serve people keeps you grounded and humble,&quot; Bynum added. &quot;It&#x27;s kind of nice to have the reset of just being a normal guy out there but just being able to bless people.&quot;Bynum shared how being around so much extravagance in the NFL has made him even more determined to lead a simple life in the Philippines.The athlete grew up in Corona, California, about an hour away from Los Angeles.But now, Manila is where he can be found when he is not training or playing.&quot;I live there in the offseason, and during football season from August through January, I&#x27;m out in Minnesota,&quot; he said. &quot;But other than that I live in the Philippines. It&#x27;s kind of hard to tell because I&#x27;ve lived out there for almost two years now, so it&#x27;s been it&#x27;s been my home.&quot;This June, he will hold his third Camp Beezy football camp in the Philippines.Bynum said he aims to expand the work of his foundation and to seek partnerships to help even more Filipinos.