Once a week, Christie Hollins, an administrative assistant in the Department of Pathology, meets three of her coworkers at Palace Lanes for a fun night of bowling and comradery.
“We’ve been bowling together for five years and it’s great,” Hollins said of her team, Scared SpitLess. “We’ve grown as bowlers and as friends, and we thank Texas Children’s for making this happen.”
Like several other Texas Children’s employees, Hollins and her bowling team take advantage of the Total Rewards Program’s Team Sport Subsidy, which provides financial support for the registration fees of league team activities.
The organization will pay up to $600 per team per fiscal year as long as at least half of the team’s roster is comprised of Texas Children’s employees.
“Texas Children’s recognizes that fitness is important to the physical and mental health of its employees,” Benefits Specialist Kelly Mueller said. “Therefore, we encourage participation in organized, league athletic events such as softball, basketball, bowling, golf, etc.”
Racheal Proctor-Ezimako, a supervisor with Diagnostic Imaging, said she and her bowling team have used the sports subsidy for six years and that it allows them to offset the cost of a hobby they participate in once a week year round.
“I think it’s an amazing give back to our employees,” she said. “We get to bond outside work and that, to me, is very special.”
Hollins agreed and said with the assistance of the subsidy, each of her team members is able to just have fun bowling.
“As long as the subsidy is offered, I will continue to apply,” she said.
Mueller said Texas Children’s is happy to provide the subsidy as well as the myriad of other benefits offered to employees, including health, dental, retirement and pension.
“Texas Children’s offers a well-rounded benefits program that spans from health to financial to overall wellbeing,” she said. “We want our employees to be healthy and happy.”
Here are the sports subsidy basics and how to apply:
- A written application must be submitted to Human Resources at least one month prior to the due date of the registration fee. The application must include a copy of the Texas Children’s registration form and a list of all team participants, including non-Texas Children’s players.
- All team participants must sign and return the appropriate waiver form with the written application.
- Texas Children’s financial support is provided for team registration only and does not cover fees or payment for coaches, uniforms, refreshments, etc.
- The maximum annual registration payment is $600 per fiscal year per team. Payment will be issued directly to the sponsoring organization. Requests will be granted based on budgetary constraints.
- The roster of any team sponsored by Texas Children’s must consist of at least 50 percent active employees of Texas Children’s.
- Participation on an athletic team is voluntary, and is not related in any way to an employee’s job duties or employment status at Texas Children’s.
- Each individual team member agrees to hold Texas Children’s, its officers, trustees, employees and agents harmless from any claims for damages resulting in participation in this program.
- To apply for a sport subsidy, click here. To get more information about overall benefits at Texas Children’s click here.