October 1, 2019

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.

September 10, 2019

Houston Texans Mascot TORO made a special visit to Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women Labor and Delivery Unit on August 28. While there, TORO welcomed a handful of little ones to the Texans family and offered the newest members of the Homefield Advantage Texans-branded birth certificates. The visit was a nice surprise for some of the hospital’s newest additions and was made possible by the partnership Texas Children’s has with the Texans to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives.

August 20, 2019

When 19-year-old Isabella Williams found out she was going to meet not one but 10 Houston Texans cheerleaders, her face lit up like a lightbulb.

“She LOVES to cheer,” said Child Life Specialist Natalie Juneau. “This is a perfect event for her.”

The event Juneau had the privilege of inviting Williams and other patients to on August 13, was the fourth Houston Texans Jr. Cheer Mini Camp. Held in a conference room on the fourth floor of the Pavilion for Women, the event brings the Texans Junior Cheerleader Program to children who wouldn’t be able to participate otherwise.

“This is one of my favorite events,” Texans cheerleader Shakila said. “I love being able to make the kids smile.”

View photos from the event below.

Shakila and her colleagues – Amanda, Ashley, Briana, Gabrielle, Kristin, Lainey, Natalie, Taryn and Taylor – spent about an hour with Isabella and several other Texas Children’s patients. The cheerleaders performed for them, did an arts and crafts project with them, signed autographs, posed for pictures, and handed out lots of goodies, including Junior Cheerleader T-Shirts, insulated water bottles and bright red pom-poms.

At one point during the event, the patients were divided into three teams with the cheerleaders – Liberty White, Battle Red and Deep Steel Blue –and asked to come up with their own group cheer and perform it for everyone in the room. Excitement filled the room as the patients cheered for their hometown NFL team.

“We are so glad to be here today,” Taryn said. “We can’t wait to get to know you and for you to get to know us.”

For 9-year-old Luci Warren, the visit from the cheerleaders was a bright spot on what could have been a pretty dull birthday spent in the hospital.

“I got very excited when I found out I was going to meet them,” Luci said.

Luci’s father, Rob Warren, said being able to attend the event was a pleasant surprise, especially since it fell around his daughter’s special day.

Following the event, the cheerleaders visited patients on the 11th floor of West Tower. These patients were unable to make it to the event at the Pavilion for Women and enjoyed seeing a friendly face.

The Houston Texans Jr. Cheer Mini Camp is made possible due to an ongoing partnership Texas Children’s has with the Texans to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives through camps, programs and events all year long. Texas Children’s works alongside the Texans through community engagement and education programs to give Houston-area kids the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives.

April 30, 2019

Houston Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney announced the 161st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on April 27 live from NRG Stadium during the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon. The triathlon is the largest kids triathlon in the word and is presented by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Flanked by triathletes, Texans cheerleaders and TORO, McKinney excitedly proclaimed to a live and national broadcast audience that the Texans had chosen defensive end Charles Omenihu as the team’s 161st draft pick. The Pro Bowler and TORO then took a celebratory dip in the Texans Kids Triathlon pool!

Click here to watch a video of the pick and here to see photos.

More than 3,000 participants ages 6 to 15 turned out for the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon on April 27 and 28 at NRG Stadium, making it the largest USATriathlon sanctioned kids triathlon in the world for the fourth consecutive year.

Texas Children’s Hospital presents the event as part of the hospital’s partnership with the Texans and local sponsorship of PLAY 60, the NFL’s initiative aimed at encouraging kids to get sixty minutes of play per day.

Click here to see photos from the triathlon.

December 11, 2018

Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans capped off this year’s fun-filled PLAY 60 Week by cheering on the Houston Texas as they played the Indianapolis Colts in the 3rd 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, TORO headband gate giveaways and kids jobs.

Additionally, GW McMaster, an avid Houston Texans fan and patient at Texas Children’s Hospital’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, served as the Honorary Coin Toss Captain. Before the game began, the 16-year-old and his family spent time on the sideline watching pregame warmups and taking in the incredible experience of his first Texans game. Shortly before the coin toss, GW met his favorite player, DeAndre Hopkins along with Houston Texans legend Andre Johnson and Houston Astros second baseman, Alex Bregman. The smile on GW’s face lit up the whole stadium.

Nine employees recognized by the Texas Children’s Caught You Caring program as well as our 2019 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 those Caught You Caring recipients, click here. To learn more about our 2019 Catalyst Award winners, click here.

PLAY 60 Week ran from December 3 through December 9 and was full of fun events aimed at helping further the PLAY 60 message and get children across the Houston moving. The week kicked off with Smith Legacy Tower being lit red, white and blue – the official colors of the Houston Texans. The building’s first and third floor lobby ceilings and east windows stayed lit in these colors throughout the week.

Below is a recap of some of the other events during the week. View photos from all of last week’s 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 Greg Mancz and Julie’n Davenport, Texans Cheerleaders and TORO were in attendance and took photos, played games and signed autographs with patients and their families. Texas Children’s Heart Center patient Taylor Berry also was at the pep rally sharing his story of being a three-time heart transplant patient and putting smiles on the faces of patients he sympathizes with so well. Click here to see a video of him interacting with patients.

PLAY 60 AT THE PARK:
On December 3, Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans hosted the 2nd annual PLAY 60 at the Park event at Levy 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 running back Alfred Blue and Texans linebacker Dylan Cole, Texans Ambassador Kevin Walter, TORO, the Texans Mascot, Houston Texans Cheerleaders and more.

PLAY 60 KID OF THE MONTH:
Last week, PLAY 60 Kid of the Month winners met for their special NRG Stadium experience which included Houston Texans prize packs, surprise visit with TORO, stadium tour, radio interview with the voice of the Houston Texans, Marc Vandermeer, and a walk on the field. Thank you to everyone who applied to be a PLAY 60 Kid of the Month by showing us how you get your 60 minutes of play each day.

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.

November 26, 2018

When the Houston Texans took the field on Monday night, November 26, they were out to win one in honor of a true Houston legend – Texans owner and philanthropist Bob McNair, who passed away on November 23 at the age of 81.

“I was proud to call Bob my friend, and he was such an important part of the Texas Children’s family,” said President and CEO Mark Wallace. “Because of his generous support, Texas Children’s has become one of the preeminent destinations in the world for pediatric health care and women’s services. All of us at Texas Children’s are sending positive thoughts and uplifting prayers to the entire McNair family during this difficult time.”

McNair and his wife, Janice, first called Houston home in 1960, just six years after Texas Children’s Hospital opened its doors. Initially unlucky in business, McNair finally found success when he started Cogen Technologies, which went on to become the largest privately owned cogeneration (an efficient form of power generation that produces electricity and heat at the same time) company in the world.

Of course, many will remember McNair as the man who tirelessly championed the cause to bring football back to Houston after the Oilers left in 1996. He was devoted to Texans fans and desperately wanted to bring a championship home for the people of Houston.

The same determination McNair put into building the Texans into a great team he also put into helping make a difference in the lives of others.

For nearly six decades, the McNairs used their resources as a force for positive change in Houston and across the United States. Through The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, they gave more than half a billion dollars to support education, advance medical research, train future business leaders, and encourage civic engagement. They set up scholarship programs at several universities, including Rice in Houston, that have made it possible for countless young people to attend college and earn their degrees.

Texas Children’s and our academic partner, Baylor College of Medicine, owe so much to McNair’s legacy and generosity.

The McNair Medical Institute has provided crucial funding that has supported the development of several research initiatives, and has also enabled Texas Children’s and Baylor to recruit some of the most brilliant minds in health care and medical research through the McNair Scholar program. And Texas Children’s partnership with the Texans has helped us encourage children throughout Greater Houston to make healthy choices and inspired them through community activities and school events throughout the year, like our upcoming mini PLAY 60 event.

These are just a few examples of the selflessness McNair exhibited on a daily basis. His towering legacy will live on for years to come in Houston, in Texans football and in the care that we provide at Texas Children’s.

May 22, 2018

If your little one was born a performer, now is their chance to do it live at NRG Stadium! Texas Children’s Hospital is sponsoring an event that will give participants the opportunity to practice and perform with the Houston Texans cheerleaders on Saturday, August 18, during the pregame ceremonies of the Houston Texans vs San Francisco 49ers game.

There will be a mandatory uniform fitting on Saturday, June 16, at NRG Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. A mandatory rehearsal also will be held Sunday, August 5, at Houston Methodist Training Center where the children will learn their game day performance routine. Check-in begins at 1:30 p.m. and rehearsal will be from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Children ages 7-11 who love to dance and cheer are invited to participate. Registration is $199 per child and includes a Houston Texans Jr. Cheerleaders uniform, poms, Texans hair bow, post-performance dinner, online instructional video, video link to the game day performance and a one-of-a-kind Houston Texans experience!

Texas Children’s teams up with the Houston Texans 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 educational programs to emphasize Play 60, the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids across the country to get off the sidelines and be active for an hour a day or more to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.

The Houston Texans Jr. Cheer Program is just one of many of the exciting events we’ll take part in throughout the year. Visit texaschildrens.org/texans to read more about Texas Children’s ongoing partnership with the Houston Texans.

Click here to register for and to get more details about the event.