HOUSTON, November 20, 2019 – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCGH) honored the Houston Rockets in a special courtside presentation at a recent game against the Portland Trailblazers at the Toyota Center. Originally, the Rockets were to be the honoree at the nonprofit’s Great Futures Dinner Sept. 19 which was cancelled due to Tropical Storm Imelda.
During the courtside event, BGCGH incoming Chairman Julius Young and BGCGH President and CEO Kevin Hattery presented Rockets CEO Tad Brown with a plaque in appreciation of the Rockets’ strong investment in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston’s mission. Several children and teen Club members also got to be a part of the special night, going down to the court for the National Anthem and meeting some of the Rockets players.
The Rockets sponsor and host BGCGH’s Best Shot basketball program with training, uniforms, equipment and funding. Through this program, Club members have learned lifelong values that will help them be successful – sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, endurance, and the importance of working hard and achieving goals. The Rockets were also a major underwriter of the Great Futures Dinner.
The Great Futures Dinner is one of the key annual fundraising events for the nonprofit. Although the dinner’s cancellation was unfortunate, through strong support from companies, individuals, BGCGH board members and the auction, more than $1 million was raised for programs supporting nearly 25,000 youth who participate in programs throughout the school year and during the summer.
“While we were disappointed that our Great Futures Dinner did not occur, many people came together to make this 2019 a huge success, surpassing our fundraising goal,” says Kevin Hattery, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. “We are especially grateful to the Houston Rockets for their ongoing support of our Club kids, including mentoring. These partnerships are vitally important to what we do in helping our members reach their potential, and the monies raised will ensure continuation of the highest quality programming.”
During the game, BGCGH leadership gathered in a skybox with several Great Futures Dinner sponsors to thank them for their generosity. Major sponsors included Sysco, Transocean, Joey Goetz and board member Bill Goetz, Laura and Will Leven, MAS Restaurant Group, National Oilwell Varco, Phillips 66, Schlumberger and Strake Foundation/Hightower Texas/Carla and Steve Strake.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston
Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Our vision is to put success within reach for our Club members and keep them on track to graduate high school. We help them realize a positive plan for the future that includes good character, citizenship, workforce readiness and a healthy lifestyle. Each year, more than 25,000 youth ages 6 to 17 walk through our doors for after school and summer programs. At our Clubs, youth are provided meals, strong role models, homework assistance, organized athletics, character development and access to the arts. Membership costs just $5 per school year and $20 for the entire summer. We are a United Way agency. Great Futures Start Here.