Falcons visit Fort Worth hospital

  • Published
  • By John Van Winkle
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
FORT WORTH, Texas --  Air Force Academy football players and cheerleaders spread holiday cheer with patients and their families at Cook Children's Medical Center here Dec. 28.

The Academy cadets, in town for the Armed Forces Bowl, took time out of their game preparations and holiday vacations to visit the children's hospital with members of University of California football and cheerleading squads.

With the Academy's costumed mascot, the Bird, leading the charge, the 13 cadets spent time with children and their families and gave gifts to the young patients.

"To the kids, these cadets are celebrities," said Katherine Marco, child life zone program coordinator at Cook Children's Medical Center. "The kids see the cadets on TV, but here they are in person giving the kids positive attention and high fives and in the process, distracting them from the reality of being in the hospital."

The cadets met up in a children's playroom at the hospital, with the Bird greeting the children, most less than 10 years old, and members of the cheer team handing out team gear to the patients and their families. Falcons fullbacks D.J. Johnson and Shayne Davern, nose tackle David Harris, outside linebacker Brayden Hill, quarterback Ryan Brand and tailback J.R. Griffen played billiards with an older patient.

"The hospital can be a formidable place to be as a kid during the holidays, not just for the kid, but for the family as well," Marco said.

Academy cadets took part in more than 30,000 hours of community service during the 2014-2015 academic year and more than 30,000 hours of community service work each academic year for the last 10 years.