The end of the school year often brings visitors to campus - moms, dads, grandparents, and maybe even a pizza delivery guy or two.

But yesterday Rice Lake Elementary in Maple Grove had a very special guest who showed up simply because a little girl asked. And it probably didn't hurt that she complimented his football cleats and his ability to score touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings.

Last month, Nevaeh Torma, a first grader at Rice Lake, wrote a letter to Vikings star Cordarrelle Patterson inviting him to visit her class. Her teacher Drew Gernand tweeted a photo of Nevaeh holding the letter. And on Tuesday, Patterson showed up.

The wide receiver had lunch with Nevaeh and spend some time in her classroom answering questions, signing autographs and taking photos.

He even went outside to play football in the rain with the kids.

"Just working hard and having fun with what I do helped me achieve my goals and dreams. I always smile and try to make the most of every day," Patterson said. "If I can help these students smile and enjoy their day, we all win and we all get better. It's a blessing to be able to make these kids light up and enjoy their time."