"Friday Night Lights" took on a more profound meaning when the Houston Texans' McNair family and friends orchestrated the first-of-its-kind fundraiser for DePelchin Children's Center. With a sellout crowd of 550 carousing through Concourse Level One of Reliant Stadium, the evening of football-themed games, dinner and dancing with the Houston Texans cheerleaders raised $450,000.
Houston Texas vice chairman and COO Cal McNair and wife Hannah co-chaired the fundraiser with their good friends Abbi and Rob Antablin while Texans owner Bob McNair and wife Janice served as honorary chairs. (Surprisingly, when the cheerleaders led a group dance, even Bob McNair joined the boogie down.)
Contributing Texans muscle to the fundraising effort were coach Wade Phillips, Owen Daniels, Matt Schaub, Jon Weeks, T.J. Yates and Garrett Graham and former Texan Chester Pitts.
Before guests sat down for dinner, they bid on auction items, bought raffle tickets, played in the photo booth and participated in the wine pull. All the while Toro worked his team spirit hijinks and posed for photo opps with guests. When Cal McNair pulled the winning raffle ticket for the lady's steel and gold Omega Seamaster watch, donated by I.W. Marks Jewelers, he drew his own number. He gallantly tossed it to pull another, making one lady in the crowd very happy.
Spotted at the "Friday Night Lights" bash, during which jeans mixed easily with cocktail attire, were Joanna and Brad Marks, Liz and Brian Dinerstein, Linda and Les Allison, Marita and JB Fairbanks, Luvi and Carlos Wheelock, Audrey and Brandon Cochran, MonicaHartland Blaisdell and John Blaisdell, Kathleen and James Jennings and Jayne and Carlos Rivera. Few could have been more pleased with the evening than DePelchin CEO Jenifer Jarriel.
Adele Hartland, from left, Toro and Rebekah Hartland at the DePelchin Friday Night Lights fundraiser.
