Press Release

ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS TEXAS BOWL SETS NEW SINGLE-YEAR DONATION RECORD TO DEPELCHIN CHILDRENS CENTER

ELECTS JUNE DEADRICK CHAIR OF ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS TEXAS BOWL BOARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018

HOUSTON – The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl presented a check for $185,000 to DePelchin Children’s Center today, breaking last year’s single-year donation record and pushing the overall financial contribution to nearly $1.4 million since the game’s inception. The donation came from the proceeds of the 2017 edition of the game.

The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl presented the record donation to Jenifer Jarriel, the President and CEO of the DePelchin Children’s Center. The gift was the largest in Bowl history and marked the seventh time that the Bowl contributed $100,000 or more to DePelchin. Donations have previously exceeded $100,000 in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

“On behalf of DePelchin, we are extremely appreciative for all that the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl has been able to give to our organization, including this incredible record-breaking $185,000 donation,” DePelchin President and CEO Jenifer Jarriel said. “Our relationship with the Bowl not only provides financial support that is important for sustaining our services, but also memorable experiences for our children and families.”

Helping to continue to foster this relationship with DePelchin will be June Deadrick, the new chair of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl Board. Deadrick currently serves as the Director of State & Federal Relations (Government Affairs) for CenterPoint Energy.

“I am extremely grateful of this honor to serve as the chair of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl Board. Previously having served as a member of the board, through this new position, I am honored to continue the great work we have done in the community, specifically with our partner, DePelchin Children’s Center,” Deadrick said. “As someone who has long had roots in Houston, I look forward to promoting this game in order to present the city as the exciting college football destination it is while also giving back to the great City of Houston.”

Before assuming her current post, she served as Senior Specialist with Reliant Energy’s Government Affairs Division and Manager of Government Affairs for CenterPoint Energy. Prior to her tenure with Reliant Energy, Deadrick was involved in local and state government as the constituent services director for Houston City Councilmen Chris Bell and Judson Robinson, III and as the Chief of Staff for Texas State Representative Fred M. Bosse.

“June has an incredible amount of experience in several professional areas as well as a great deal of involvement in the community, and this combination along with her passion for college football makes her an excellent choice for the board chair as we continue to grow this game’s positive impact on Houston,” said David Fletcher, Executive Director of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl. “We are grateful to exiting chair Don Faust, Jr. for his service and contributions to the Bowl and its partners, and we look forward to further developing our ties to the Houston community.”

Deadrick serves as a volunteer and board member for several nonprofit organizations, including Miller Outdoor Theatre Advisory Board, Theater Under the Stars (TUTS), Houston Grand Opera, Texas Exes Public Affairs Committee, Stadium Park TIRZ, The Bryan Museum, Houston Harris County Sports Authority Foundation, Herman Park Conservancy, UT Health Development Committee, Longhorn Foundation, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Engagement and the Texas Exes Black Alumni Steering Committee. A sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston, she is a member of the Texas Spring Cypress Chapter of Links, Inc., a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and a Life Member of the Texas Exes Association. In 2017, Deadrick was chosen from a pool of nationwide applicants to participate as a member of the Leadership America Class of 2018, the premier Leadership Development organization for corporate women throughout the United States.

“We are delighted to present DePelchin Children’s Center with another record-setting, largest single-year donation since the Bowl’s alignment with this incredible charity in 2006,” newly elected Chair of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl June Deadrick said. “On behalf of our volunteers, staff and board members, we are honored to have the ability to consistently provide a significant financial contribution to this organization every year through the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl as the relationship between the Bowl and DePelchin is one we value immensely.”

DePelchin Children’s Center was named as the Bowl’s official charitable beneficiary in 2006. Founded in 1892 by Kezia Payne DePelchin, DePelchin Children’s Center is an accredited foster care and adoption agency serving the most vulnerable children and families in Texas and working to break the cycles of abuse and neglect. DePelchin’s approach to caring for kids integrates at-risk prevention, foster care, adoption and post-adoption programs to improve the mental health and physical well-being of children who are at risk of entering or are in the State’s child welfare system.

The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl and the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff have grown to become two of the most popular annual college football games in the country and have combined to create an economic impact of close to $100 million annually for the City of Houston. The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is the fourth most attended Bowl game in the country since 2014, trailing only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls.

The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events a subsidiary of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment.

CONTACT:
Allie LeClair, (832) 667-2050

About the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. The Bowl will showcase teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, two of the country’s premier conferences, for the next two years. The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over the years. The game has ranked fourth in attendance since 2014 behind only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that time. In terms of its community impact, the bowl has generated an average of $50 million annually for the Houston economy and through its relationship with DePelchin Children’s Center, its official charitable beneficiary, nearly $1.4 million in financial support has been donated to the city’s oldest children’s charity.

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