When Rodney Owens and Destun Thomas walked into LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in July, they restarted a Memphis football tradition hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owens, a senior safety, had previously done LeBonheur’s weekly game show with patients last summer. But now, he and Thomas, a freshman receiver, were the first players since 2019 to present prizes in person to patients. It made a difference seeing faces instead of screens.
“It feels like things are getting back to normal,” Owens said. “It makes it more genuine, and you can actually feel the impact that you’re making within the community.”
The Tigers hosting the game show was a tradition since 2016, but it stopped in 2020. Players returned last year in a limited capacity; this summer marked the return of players and patients interacting in person.
Friday will be another step of that return with LeBonheur hosting a football kickoff party for patients and families. The entire Tigers team will attend along with the Mighty Sound of the South marching band and Memphis spirit squad.
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It started in 2019 with the hopes of being an annual event, and after three years, that hope is renewed.
“We really missed being able to have the football players and all the athletes from Memphis as well as musical groups and volunteers,” said David Henson, public relations director for LeBonheur. “As soon as our doctors decided it was indeed safe for (guests) to return, we immediately let Memphis know that we’d be happy for them to return.”
Tigers players often spoke of how they loved being around kids for the game show, which invites patients to guess a song based on hearing a few notes. After the show, players would go up several floors and watch patients pick out prizes.
When in-person gatherings resumed last summer at LeBonheur, Henson and Lauren Hillman, the Tigers’ director of player relations, began arranging for players to return although patient visits remained virtual through iPads.
Even now, Hillman said, players are standing in the doorway instead of being in the room with patients. However, it’s a more intimate interaction that’s been rewarding for both sides.
“We wanted to make sure even if we couldn’t go and greet the kids and families that we were still a presence and consistent with the partnership,” said Hillman, who was hired last year. “That was really important to me.”
After Owens and Thomas, three tight ends also did the game show. Hillman said it’s been mostly groups of two to four that have returned, and that will stay the plan when the Tigers’ season begins Sept. 3.
The visits have brought more joy back to the hospital. With Friday’s event, the Tigers are eager to rebuild LeBonheur connections that were lost during the past two years.
“If I can do anything to put a smile on their faces and make their day, I’m all for it,” senior defensive lineman Wardalis Ducksworth said. “I’m ready to go back and see them so I can react with them.”
Henson said the feeling is mutual at the hospital. They’re excited for the new season because it means staff, patients and families can plan to see Memphis athletes each Monday and resume what’s been a rewarding tradition of service.
“It just helps everybody involved forget they’re in the hospital for a little bit and just let loose and have a good time meeting college athletes,” Henson said.
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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at [email protected]
