2010 Tux & Tennies

15th annual charity gala draws big benefits for Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and HEARTS

Rockets.com Staff

Houston - The bids kept coming in, one after the other. The price soon soared past $15,000 with each successive bid initiating whoops, gasps and appreciative applause.

Finally, a winner was declared when the price for a road trip with the Rockets to China settled at an astounding $17,000.

But there was one more twist still to come: the suggestion was made to offer the trip to three different parties if they were each willing to pay the final bid. Of course, each said yes, putting the perfect cap on a big evening for the Tux & Tennies party-goers and the charity gala’s beneficiaries.

“It’s great to do this and it’s great to have all these people behind us all these years,” said Rockets owner Leslie Alexander. “We’ve raised so much money for the city of Houston and it’s just fabulous.”

The 15th annual event brought out Rockets players past and present, along with hundreds of others who came to hang out with their favorite stars and contribute to a worthwhile cause.

“It’s a great arm of charity provided by Les Alexander and his staff,” said Rockets legend Clyde Drexler. “They do a lot for the community and this is one of the most fun nights of the year because you get to interact with all the people who support the game, the fans and the community, and the people who want to do something good. So it’s a light-hearted night where everyone’s having fun.”

Added Rockets forward Chuck Hayes: “It’s great to mingle with the fans. They get to know us on a more personal level. To see people that you’ve seen over the years get dressed-up and enjoy each others’ company, it’s just a great experience, something we look forward to every year and the cause is great, so I’m just happy to be here tonight.”

This year’s event benefitted two different organizations: Children’s Memorial Hermann and HEARTS (Houston Early Risk Testing and Screening). For the former, a portion of the proceeds from the gala will go to projects like the Rockets Lounge, a game room funded by the Rockets in 2007 for teens receiving treatment at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

The event also raised money for the HEARTS program, which aims to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in young teens through heart testing and screening. This unique partnership between the Rockets, Memorial Hermann and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston has already produced life-saving results for teens at Key and Fleming middle schools, with the ultimate goal being a day in which the testing will be implemented at every middle school in Texas and eventually throughout the United States.

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