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.
