Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans celebrated PLAY 60 by cheering on the football team as they played the Carolina Panthers in the 4th Annual Texans Kids Day presented by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Texans Kids Day highlights the National Football League’s PLAY 60 initiative, a campaign that encourages kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. Texas Children’s Hospital, the local presenting sponsor of PLAY 60, was featured throughout Sunday’s game including signage, gate giveaways and kids jobs.
Additionally, Kaylee Tolleson, an avid Houston Texans fan and patient at Texas Children’s Hospital’s Cancer Center, served as the Honorary Coin Toss Captain. The 9-year-old is an ovarian cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer after doctors found a tumor the size of a softball had spread to her abdominal wall. Following surgery and four intense rounds of chemotherapy at Texas Children’s, Kaylee was declared cancer-free in July. She rang the end-of-treatment bell surrounded by her parents and army of supporters. Now, Kaylee is a spunky 4th grader who loves ice skating, Girl Scouts and tracking the weather. She is a BIG Houston Texans fan and can’t wait to see her favorite player, J.J. Watt, play in person at the game.
Ten employees recognized as Unsung Heroes as well as our 2020 Catalyst Award winners, their guests and leaders got to watch the game as a thank you for their compassion and dedication to the Texas Children’s mission. The tickets to the game are one of the benefits of Texas Children’s Hospital being the official children’s hospital of the Houston Texans football team. To learn more about the Unsung Heroes, click here. The 2020 Catalyst Award winners, along with the Catalyst of the Year, will formally be announced at the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Luncheon on October 16.
In addition to the Kids Day game, the PLAY 60 initiative was full of fun events aimed at helping further the PLAY 60 message and getting children across the Houston moving. Below is a recap of some of these event. View photos from the events below.
PRE-GAME PEP RALLY:
Last week, we hosted a pre-game pep rally at the hospital’s play garden to help get some of our patients excited about the game and remind them about how important it is to PLAY 60. Texans players Roderick Johnson and Peter Kalambayi, Texans Cheerleaders Sierra and Torrey, and TORO were in attendance and took photos, played games and signed autographs with patients and their families.
PLAY 60 AT THE PARK:
On September 21, Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans hosted the 3nd annual PLAY 60 at the Park event at Evelyn’s Park Conservancy to kick off PLAY 60 Week in Houston. As the local sponsor of PLAY 60, the NFL-led initiative, which encourages kids to get at least 60 minutes of active play per day, Texas Children’s invited the community to join in an evening of fun and games aimed at keeping kids healthy. Special guests included Texans Ambassadors Cecil Shorts III and Eric Brown, TORO, Houston Texans Cheerleaders and more.
KIDS JOBS:
Five PLAY 60 participants were selected to attend and participate in the Kids Day game. These participants were given the special assignments of Public Announcement Announcer, Texans Radio, Jr. Reporter on Texans Unlimited, Gameday Central Desk helper, Halftime Trophy Presenter for the Mascot Bowl.
Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans are two winning teams that share one goal – keeping Houston kids healthy and encouraging them to be more active. To learn more about our partnership, visit: texaschildrens.org/texans.
