"Rockets Five Days of Giving" Slated to Help Diverse Group of Houstonians in Need
HOUSTON, Dec. 18 -- Rockets owner Leslie Alexander announced today that beginning Monday, December 18, the organization will tip off the "Rockets Five Days of Giving," a week-long charitable initiative created to help Houstonians in need. The week-long program includes both donations of gifts and clothing, and personal involvement with pediatric patients at Ben Taub Hospital, young mothers living with aids, low or fixed income grandparents raising grandchildren, and foster children.
The "Rockets Five Days of Giving" is an effort to reach out to the Houston community and join other Houstonians in the spirit of giving.
"The Rockets mission is to make a difference in the community year-round, but we're especially pleased to make the holidays more enjoyable for Houstonians in need," Alexander said. "We are delighted to lend our unique resources and capabilities to the community during this season of giving."
Alexander and the Rockets community service staff spent more than two weeks researching local charity organizations to identify areas of need in the Houston community. The "Rockets Five Days of Giving" will begin with a multi-cultural exchange allowing children to learn about different holiday traditions.
Houston Rockets and Comets coaches, team mascots, players from the Comets and members of the business team will help provide special activities to people in need each day of the upcoming week. Every day, Rockets business team members will make a special effort to brighten the holidays for others in the Houston area.
The "Rockets Five Days of Giving" will benefit the following:
Day 1
Monday, Dec. 18 - A Celebration of Giving - Houston Rockets players, Power Dancers, business team members, mascot Clutch, area high school students and more than 60 children will participate in a multi-cultural exchange and gift wrapping event on the floor of the Compaq Center. Children will have the opportunity to learn about various traditions relating to the Chinese New Year, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and Simbang Gabi, as they assist in wrapping hundreds of presents that will be distributed later in the week to underprivileged children.
DAY 2
Tuesday, Dec. 19 - Ben Taub Hospital Visit - Comets star Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets coaches, Team NRG dancers and Comets mascot Haley will donate children's books to the book room after visiting and distributing gifts to more than 60 patients in Ben Taub Hospital's pediatric ward.
DAY 3
Wednesday, Dec. 20 - Friendly Haven Living Facility - Houston Rockets players, Power Dancers and mascot Clutch will distribute toys and clothing to young single mothers and their children, residents of Friendly Haven Living Facility, a residential facility owned and operated by the AIDS Foundation of Houston.
DAY 4
Thursday, Dec. 21 - Holiday Party for Grandparents and Their Families at Arabia Temple - Comets star and WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper, Comets mascot Haley and members of Team NRG will serve lunch, distribute gifts and host an array of holiday activities and crafts for 50 children who are being raised by one or more grandparent on a low or fixed income.
DAY 5
Friday, Dec. 22 - Party on the Ice for Foster Children - Rockets and Comets celebrities, mascots Clutch and Haley, and Thunder, the Thunderbears mascot, and Power Dancers will host a party on ice at the Galleria ice rink. More than 100 foster children from the Therapeutic Family Life, Associated Catholic Charities and DePelchin Children's Center will receive gifts, ice skate with Rockets and Comets celebrities and receive autographs.
The "Rockets Five Days of Giving" is an initiative of the Clutch City Foundation, established in 1995 by Rockets owner Leslie Alexander to provide help, hope and inspiration to those in Houston who might otherwise be forgotten.
