January 7, 2016

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To celebrate their AFC South title and to get ready for the first round of the playoffs, the Houston Texans hosted a party Wednesday for patients and families at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Held in the Child Life Zone on the 16th floor of West Tower, the party was filled with all sorts of fun, including face painting, playoff T-shirt giveaways, arts and crafts, and visits from TORO, Texans cheerleaders Jordan and Randi, and Texans ambassadors J.J. Moses, Wade Smith and Eric Brown.

While waiting to get a glimpse of TORO, 7-year-old Gael Esquivel intently colored a football he drew on a playoffs poster he created at the arts and crafts station. The child quickly stopped his coloring when TORO waived him over for a handshake and photo op.

“He’s a huge fan of the Texans and has always wanted to meet TORO,” Gael’s mother, Joanna Esquivel, said as she looked at her son’s smiling face. “As you can tell, he’s very excited.”

Mike Manis said he brought his 2-year-old son Rayden Manis to the playoff party because his family is a huge fan of the Texans and of Texas Children’s Hospital, an organization he described as “going above and beyond for its patients and families.”

“This kind of thing is really great for the kids,” Manis said. “It brightens their day.”

Shannon Green agreed and said her 10-year-old daughter Eden Green has attended various uplifting events at Texas Children’s Hospital during the past several months while being treated for a rare form of bone cancer. Although she wasn’t able to come to the playoff party, Eden got a T-shirt, socks and a signed football from her mom and sister who were able to attend.

“We are huge Texans fans,” Shannon Green said. “We will definitely be rooting for them on Saturday.”

The Texans clinched the AFC South title with January 3rd’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, finishing with a final mark of 9-7. The team – which partnered with Texas Children’s almost a year ago to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives – is the AFC’s 4th seed and will host the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs at 3:35 p.m. Saturday, January 9 in the AFC Wild Card Game.

To show our pride for our home team and partner, CEO Mark A. Wallace is encouraging Texas Children’s fans to wear Texans jerseys, shirts or team colors Friday and Saturday. Khakis or similar slacks may be worn, but please no denim blue jeans, as we wish to present a spirited yet professional appearance to our families.

And we want to see your team spirit too: Send our communications team photos of you and your co-workers in your Texans gear, and you may just end up on Texas Children’s Twitter (@texaschildrens) and Instagram feeds (oneamazingteam). Email your photos to connectnews@texaschildrens.org.

December 1, 2015

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Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans had an exciting week wrapping up all of their Play 60 activities. Play 60 is an NFL initiative that encourages children to get off the sidelines and on their feet for at least 60 minutes of active play a day.

As part of the initiative, Texas Children’s, in partnership with the Texans, sponsored the Play 60 Challenge, a six-week program at Houston-area middle schools aimed at getting students excited about developing a healthy lifestyle.

Westchester Academy for International Studies in Spring Branch School District was one of those schools and was visited on November 24 by TORO, two cheerleaders and players Jonathan Joseph and Kevin Johnson. Texas Children’s dietician, Lin Lin Shao, also spoke about the importance and value of eating right to fuel your mind and body. As part of the celebration, the students played a Family Feud-style game about exercise and nutrition. Click here to view the Texans TV coverage of this event.

Also part of the PLAY 60 umbrella is the Play 60 Grant, which is $40,000 in grants given to help local schools get the equipment they need to help improve youth activity across the Houston area. The recipients of the grants were presented checks at the Texans Homecoming game vs. the New Orleans Saints on November 29 at NRG Stadium.

Four days before the big game, two Houston Texans Ambassadors, J.J. Moses and Eric Brown visited with about 20 patients at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. In addition to being encouraged to watch the Homecoming game, some of the patients got to try on Eric Brown’s Super Bowl ring while others were given the opportunity to sign our Houston Texans homecoming mum. Click here to view the Texans TV coverage of this event.

On game day, the Texans defeated the New Orleans Saints 24-6 in front of 71,778 fans at NRG Stadium. Texas Children’s was the presenting sponsor of the game, allowing President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and Executive Vice President John Nickens to kick off the event and serve as coin toss captains. The organization had more than 75 attendees at the game, including Catalyst award winners, who got to watch the event from a suite, and One Amazing Team event ticket winners.

Texas Children’s teamed up with the Houston Texans a year ago to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives by engaging them through camps, programs and events while giving them the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives. Click here to learn more about Texas Children’s partnership with The Texans.

November 10, 2015

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It’s been almost a year since Texas Children’s announced we were teaming up with the Houston Texans to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives. Since the kick-off of our partnership, the two organizations have already reached thousands of Houston-area children through camps, school programs, special hospital appearances and other events that combine fun with education.

“The goal of our partnership with the Texans is to help children and families in our community grow stronger and healthier. We’re working together to provide fun, meaningful experiences that emphasize the importance of nutrition, physical activity and other healthy choices,” said Amber Tabora, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations.

In the past few months, our two teams have hosted the Houston Texans Kids’ Triathlon, one of the nation’s largest triathlons for children; a Texans Jr. Cheer event that included a presentation for parents on the young female athlete given by Drs. Jennifer Dietrich and Megan May; Running of the Bulls: TORO Kids 1K run/walk; youth football camps; the Heads Up football program teaching football safety to kids in the community; and Get Fit with TORO, an elementary school-based nutrition and fitness program. Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans also kicked off several NFL Play 60 contests among schools in the community, all aimed at encouraging children to exercise or actively play for at least 60 minutes every day. On November 29, Texas Children’s will be recognized at the game as the Houston Texans’ Play 60 partner and help award the schools who won the challenge.

“Our relationship with the Texans first and foremost is about outreach to the community. At the same time, it’s also an opportunity to promote the Texas Children’s brand in uniquely compelling ways to new audiences,” said Lisa Yelenick, director of Brand and Service Line Marketing. “Because it’s so externally focused, the partnership includes very few internal benefits like game tickets or other hospitality elements. And with the few benefits we do receive, executive leadership and Human Resources are finding ways to distribute them to team members at all levels throughout the organization.”

The primary benefits include 50 game tickets and one hospitality suite for the November 29 Play 60 game. The suite will be used to host the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leader winners and their guests and leaders. And winners of the additional 50 tickets this year were chosen from comment cards that employees submitted throughout the “One Amazing Team” events and tour. Please see below the 25 winners.

The partnership also includes involvement from players, cheerleaders and TORO in the community and hospital events hosted by the Texans and Texas Children’s Hospital. Separate from these official events, players may decide to visit patients in our hospital on their own – like the recent appearance made by J.J. Watt. “In a case like this, the player’s intent is to spend time with the children and families in our care, and we sincerely appreciate all the help provided by Child Life and Security to ensure these visits go smoothly and cause the least disruption possible to patient care activity,” added Yelenick.

The two organizations hope to continue identifying ways to grow the partnership and extend its reach even further within the local and regional communities.

“The partnership allows us to link our brand with the Houston Texans, and that in turn helps us amplify the impact we can have on the community – kids are understandably more excited to learn about health and nutrition when it comes from TORO and their favorite Texans players,” Tabora said. “We are two great teams combining our efforts to impact our community in a powerful, positive way.”

For questions or more information about the Texans partnership, please contact Sarah Bardwell in Marketing and Public Relations at Ext. 4-2732 or at scbardwe@texaschildrens.org.

FAQs about Houston Texans appearances and tickets

Can I request a special appearance from the Houston Texans football players, TORO or the Texans cheerleaders?
Our partnership only covers the limited time spent by players, cheerleaders and TORO at official Texans-Texas Children’s events. Texans players and other representatives may choose to visit our patients on their own time, and we will facilitate each request as we can. All such visits will be coordinated through the Marketing and Public Relations department.

Can I visit the Texans’ players, cheerleaders and mascot when they visit the hospital?
When Texans representatives visit the hospital, their intent is to interact with our patients and their families. The only staff and employees invited to attend these special appearances are those currently providing care for the patients involved or those staff coordinating the events themselves. As well, we usually are asked to enforce strict guidelines regarding photography, videography and social media with those Texas Children’s team members working at the events.

Are ticket discounts available now that we are partnering with the Texans?
Texas Children’s partnership with the Texans does not include ticket discounts. The focus and intent of the partnership is on outreach to children and families here at the hospital and out in the community.

What if I’m not a Texans fan?
Regardless of your sports team loyalties or even what happened during last week’s football game, when players and other representatives from the Houston Texans visit Texas Children’s Hospital, they are here to help create memorable experiences for our patients and their families. Please be courteous as you would with any of the hospital’s partners, and remember that when it comes to our patients and children and families in the community, we’re all on the same team.

Winners of the tickets to the November 29 Play 360 game with the Texans
If you see your name on this list and have yet to be contacted about your tickets, please call Karen Jumonville with Human Resources at Ext. 4-6656.

Leslie Barker, Mother/Baby Unit at the Pavilion for Women Nathalee Jones, Information Services
Katresea Bouldin, The Center for Children and Women Sheila Lopez, Texas Children’s Health Plan
Irene Castro, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Vanessa Marquez, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus – Cardiology
Stephanie Colburn, Texas Children’s Health Centers – The Woodlands Nancy Ng, Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research
Kelly Dahlen, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Pavilion for Women Abhay Patel, Pharmacy Department
Maria Davis, Room Management Christy Rodriguez, Pharmacy Services
Kimberly Derouselle, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Pearland Amanda Schneider, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Esbeydi Duarte, Post Anesthesia Care Unit Reshma Suthar, Texas Children’s Gordon Emergency Center
Woodie Fry, Facilities Planning and Development Kristy Stanley, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Cy-Fair
Jewel Greer, Virology Department Maria Valero, Lactation Support
Samelle Hamilton, Facilities Operations Katherine Williams, Business Services
Susan Hardy-Croskey, Maternal Fetal Medicine Thomesa Wilson, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Corinthian Pointe
Daneeka Hamilton, REI-IVF

Clinic Photo Gallery:

September 22, 2015

Houston Texans Randy Bullock and Ben Jones, TORO and Houston Texans Cheerleaders visited patients who are battling cancer at Texas Children’s Hospital in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The visitors donned gold pins and sported gold pompoms, symbolizing childhood cancer awareness, while participating in games and taking photos with patients. View event photos by clicking on the photo above.

August 18, 2015

81915TexansJuniorCheer640Patients got a special treat last week when the Houston Texans cheerleaders paid them a visit and hosted a mini Jr. cheerleading camp at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“We are going to teach you to dance like we do during the games,” one of the cheerleaders told the crowd as her squad mates handed out fluffy red and white pom-poms. “Show me how to shake ’em.”

For the next hour, the cheerleaders worked with the patients on their dance routine, played games, signed autographs and posed for photos. Excitement filled the room as the patients showed spirit for their hometown NFL team.

“I loved it!” 8-year-old Zoe Rosales squealed. “I want to be a cheerleader and practice all the time at home.”

Following the camp, the cheerleaders visited heart patients, bringing along pom-poms and autographed posters. For cheerleader Ashley S., the August 10 visit was extremely meaningful since she used to be a patient at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Ashley was diagnosed with a potentially deadly disease nine years ago and stayed at Texas Children’s Hospital for four weeks. During her time at the hospital, she enjoyed Radio Lollipop, our fully-equipped, on-site radio station that broadcasts to patients’ rooms via Texas Children’s television system.

“The staff at Texas Children’s Hospital worked really hard to make me feel like I was more than just a patient,” Ashley said. “It’s a blessing to be able to give that experience back.”

Texas Children’s teamed up with the Houston Texans earlier this year to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives through camps, programs and events all year long. We are working alongside the Texans through community engagement and education programs to give Houston-area kids the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives. Last week’s mini Jr. cheerleading camp is just one of many of the exciting events we’ll take part in throughout the year. Click here to learn about some of the other ones.

March 3, 2015

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Getting a visitor while you are in the hospital is always a treat, but having a member of the Houston Texans stop by is a dream come true for many patients at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Some of the team’s football players, along with their mascot, Toro, stopped by the hospital on February 25 to visit with patients and officially announce their seven-year partnership with us. Click here to watch a video of that visit.

Beginning Wednesday, April 1, Texas Children’s Hospital will be the Official Children’s Hospital of the Houston Texans. Through the partnership, the Texans look forward to helping improve the health and wellness of Houston area children through community engagement, education, sports performance and the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives.

“We want to see all Houston kids grow healthier and stronger,” said Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes. “We feel it’s our responsibility to give every child access to the tools to understand the importance of healthy choices and the benefits of physical activity, and this partnership with the world-class team at Texas Children’s will give us that opportunity. We’re looking forward to working together.”

Texas Children’s is a natural fit with the Texans because of both organizations’ emphasis on community engagement and educating Houston’s youth about nutrition and the importance of being active.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Houston Texans,” said President and CEO of Texas Children’s Hospital Mark A. Wallace. “Both of our organizations want to impact our community in a powerful, positive way. Texas Children’s is helping children lead healthier, more productive lives, and this exciting collaboration will expand our reach to even more families in Houston.”

The Houston Texans and Texas Children’s will appear as partners for the first time at the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon, which will take place on April 19. Registration for the event is now open.

In addition to the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon, Texas Children’s will be the official Texans Play 60 Health Care Partner. The partnership will include the Texans Play 60 Challenge and the Texans Play 60 Character Camp. Texas Children’s will also be the presenting sponsor of the Play 60 Game.

Furthermore, Texas Children’s will be the presenting sponsor of the TORO’s Kids 1K at the Houston Texans Running of the Bulls presented by HEB, the “TORO’s Training Table” school program and the Texans Jr. Cheerleader programs.

February 10, 2015

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Texas Children’s, are you ready for some football?

Beginning in the 2015-2016 NFL season, we will team up with the Houston Texans to help children lead healthier, more productive lives.

21115texansinside250The exclusive pediatric health care partnership with the beloved sports team will kick off Sunday, April 19 at the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon, an event that is expected to draw 3,000 youth.

For the next seven years, Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans will work together to build a community of healthier kids, focusing on increasing community engagement and the education of youth on the importance of nutrition and physical activity.

We will host numerous sports camps, programs and events, including Texas Jr. Cheer, Running of the Bulls: TORO Kids 1K run/walk, Youth Football Camps, Heads Up Football Program, TORO’s Training Table and Play 60, the NFL initiative to encourage children to exercise at least 60 minutes every day. We also will visit more than 25 Houston-area elementary schools each year to teach children about healthy eating and lifestyles.

Together, we will reach our goal of building a community of healthier kids.

Stay tuned for updates about this unique partnership.