Fantasy football enthusiasts recently packed NRG Stadium for the Today’s Harbor for Children, formerly Boys & Girls Harbor, sixth annual “Fantasy Football Draft Night.” Participants donned casual football-themed attire and were greeted by Texans cheerleaders as they made their way to the stadium’s Club Level.
Celebrity coaches including Dan Pastorini, Vince Rachal, Ed Biles, and Charlie Frazier mingled with the guests and gave them tips on player picks. KPRC sports director and anchor, Randy McIlvoy, emceed the evening’s draft activities. With close to 400 attendees and the evenings proceeds of $400,000, it was a record-setting night.
The stadium guests were briefed on statistics regarding the impact the Harbor has on at-risk children in the community. Event chairmen Michael Knudsen and Fred Wahrlich, along with honorary chair Diane Englet, visited with the attendees, discussing pointers for drafting their teams. Auction chairs Vicki Lehner and Rachel Price scored big on the silent auction with autographed sports memorabilia, big boards, a wine pull, and an exciting live auction. A big bonus: The fantasy football winner will receive two tickets to the 2019 Super Bowl.
The draft evening has raised over $1,300,000 in six years to help Today’s Harbor for Children achieve their mission of providing healthy, comprehensive residential care for abused and neglected children throughout the southeast Texas region. The Harbor empowers children to overcome self-destructive patterns, break cycles of abuse, develop social skills, learn responsibility, and ultimately take back their own life path – becoming the next generation of neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family.
The fantasy crowd included: Gretchen and John Hodge, Melinda and Keith Landsness, Laura and Wayne Kinningham, Rhonda and Fred Newhouse, Harbor CEO Don Sweat and wife Diane, Claudia and Darayus Pardivala, Ken Sellars, Monica and Joe Casiano, Bill Lehner, Gladney Darroh, Tracy and Ken Janda, and Elizabeth and Grant Harvey.
Dan Pastorini and Vince Rachal.
