Saturday, Texas paid a visit to the DePelchin Children’s Center, a center for children’s well-being, with a focus on mental health, foster care and adoption.
“I always love giving back to my community,” Desmond Jackson said. “I always love kids. Just being able to talk to them in Houston is just, words can’t even express just the joy I get from just talking to little kids and being able just to put a smile on their face. It’s just a real blessing.”
A handful of Longhorns and members of the Texas cheer and pom squads visited with the kids, took pictures with them and signed autographs.
“We got to meet the football players,” Clarissa Johnson said.
“We got to meet a lot of nice cheerleaders. We got to get their autographs,” Tavetha Johnson said.
For senior center and Cedar Park product Dominic Espinosa, Saturday’s visit was a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of every day life.
“I think definitely the smiles, the pictures they get to get and the autographs will last them a lifetime, but for us, these are memories we don’t get to do too much because we are busy,” Espinosa said. “We have a lot going on. But this is awesome when we can take time out and really give back. it puts things in perspective for a guy like me, and it makes me want to give back more.”
Espinosa announced in November that he won’t be seeking a medical redshirt for another year of eligibility after breaking his ankle in the season opener.
“Not a lot of times you get to come out, really make a difference in some kid’s day,” Espinosa said. “So things like this are things that I’ll miss and things I’ll miss being able to do with kids like this on a daily basis.”
The Texas bowl is providing tickets for all the children and their families at DePelchin Children’s center for Monday’s game between Texas and Arkansas.