Texans players Garret Wallow, Thomas Booker, Kurt Hinish ‘give back,’ celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day

HOUSTON – Texans defensive tackle Kurt Hinish and linebacker Garret Wallow teamed up for a game of table tennis Thursday afternoon while defensive tackle Thomas Booker taught volleyball skills during an after-school program.

Texans players, cheerleaders and staffers surprised students at the Boys & Girls Club Havard location with pizza, drawing applause and making friends as they signed several autographs and imparted some life lessons.

The Texans were celebrating in advance of Friday’s National Random Acts of Kindness Day.

“It’s always a good time, something I do very often during the season, when we have an opportunity to give back,” said Wallow, a third-year player from Texas Christian University. “I try to do my best to give back to the community especially this is something I’m passionate about. This is something the Texans community is passionate about.”

The Texans surprised Houston Fire Department Station 21 with cases of Community Coffee and breakfast from Whataburger, visited Kroger to surprise customers with gift cards to help pay for their groceries, donated funds to the Houston SPCA to cover pet adoption fees, bought lunch for a youth soccer team at Whataburger, delivered Tiff’s Treats cookies to nurses at Houston Methodist Hospital, handed out Chevron gift cards at a gas station and purchased gear for fans at the Texans’ team store.

A New Orleans native, Wallow has always helped others. That’s a principle taught to him by his mother.

“I try to give back any chance I can just because growing up my mom and I helped out a lot of people in a similar position,” Wallow said. “A lot of my teammates I used to play with used to come live with me when we were younger. So, just being able to give back I understand the situations these kids come from.

“I know they just need some guidance. I feel like if I can just be a little help to guide them in the right direction and just be like a role model and somebody for them to look up to, I would like to do that.”