2016 Dear Friends, I take great pride in the passion with which our players, coaches and staff strive to make a positive impact on the Houston community. As such, I am excited to present the 2015–2016 edition of the Rockets Community Report, a snapshot of this past season’s outreach efforts, and a representation of the Rockets legacy of giving back that spans nearly half a century. This is our story of an ongoing partnership with a community that has become so much a part of our Rockets family. And because we’re family, when torrential rains and floods hit Houston in April of this year, we were honored to answer Mayor Sylvester Turner’s call to help thousands of Houstonians get back on their feet by donating $500,000 to the Mayor’s Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund. We’re proud to highlight the ongoing programs that support education, youth fitness and wellness, children and families in crisis, and the many additional initiatives featured in the report.As we do each season, we’ve continued to help the underserved, support our military, and provide activities that uplift children battling illness. Through the Clutch City Foundation, we constantly seek ways to make an even greater impact, and this year we hosted the inaugural “Clutch City Cares for Kids” fundraising event, that raised more than $100,000 for two charities that support children - Casa de Esperanza and the Sunshine Kids Foundation. We’re grateful for our community partners who allow us to support their works of service. They inspire us. Our entire Rockets organization, as well as our corporate partners are committed to helping. Thank you for your continued support of the Rockets. Please enjoy the stories of how we all work together to make Houston such a special place to live. We hope that you too will be inspired by the many heartwarming features. Leslie Alexander Owner, Houston Rockets 3 4 Education is a priority for Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, who personally sponsored a trip to Austin in July for a class of students from Woodrow Wilson Montessori School. The students visited the State Capitol building, toured historical sites like the George Washington Carver Museum, and experienced a taste of college life on the University of Texas campus. In what’s become an annual tradition on September 11th, Rockets staff, with an assist by Papa John’s Pizza, canvassed the city to personally thank Houston area first responders for keeping our communities safe. This season, members of the organization visited over 100 Houston area police and fire departments, delivering tickets to a Rockets game, official Rockets t-shirts and caps, and delicious Papa John’s pizzas. 5 6 The Rockets dedicated this year’s October Launch Week to helping provide food for the Houston area hungry. The organization encouraged schools to host major food drives by offering great incentives for large-scale collections. In all, over 35,000 lbs of food was collected and distributed to Casa de Esperanza and Target Hunger. Improving physical fitness and wellness among the Houston community is an important initiative for the Rockets and Memorial Hermann. Now in its 14th season, Rockets Run presented by Memorial Hermann Health Insurance has become one of the most anticipated fun runs in the city. Thousands of Houston area runners and walkers tipped off the NBA season by finishing the 5k run, 2 mile walk or Kids 1k on the Rockets’ center court. Proceeds from the November event benefitted Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. 7 Save Money. Sleep Happy.TM CHARITY OF THE MONTH The Rockets designated the Mattress Firm Foundation as the charity of the month for November, raising over $4,000 in support of pancreatic cancer research. All funds raised in November were to help in the battle against pancreatic cancer. SCHOOL SHOWS Mattress Firm teamed up with Rockets Mascot Clutch to teach students about the importance of getting enough sleep. More than 16,000 elementary students 8 attended “Good Night Sleep” rallies. Families at the Star of Hope Transitional Living Center were treated to a special surprise on November 24th when James Harden and his mom, Monja, served up their own special meal. Rockets team chef, Chef Rey Darthard, cooked up a Thanksgiving feast after which James spent time interacting and shooting hoops with the kids. 9 Camp Hope provides interim housing for families of wounded veterans and veterans suffering from combat-related PTSD. As a way of expressing gratitude for their service and sacrifice, Rockets legends joined Bowen, Miclette & Britt in hosting a special Thanksgiving dinner in the veterans’ honor. The group enjoyed a memorable November evening together, sharing a meal with the veterans and their families and playing games with the children. 10 11 Putting groceries on the table can be a challenge for many families, but it’s especially difficult during the holidays. The Rockets partnered with ZTE to help 50 Target Hunger families shop for groceries. Corey Brewer and Terrence Jones, along with Rockets and ZTE staff, helped the families as they shopped their way through a Randall’s grocery store. 12 Dwight Howard loves to put smiles on the faces of those in need. This past November, he surprised members of Fifth Ward Enrichment with lunch at their community center, and then later that evening he shared a meal with teenagers staying at Covenant House Houston. 13 On November 23rd, 50 Rockets staff members spent a day at Target Hunger distributing groceries to help underprivileged families enjoy their own Thanksgiving meal. 14 Hoops for Troops is a partnership between the NBA and the Department of Defense in a joint effort to support their communities. As part of the program, Rockets players and staff worked alongside members of the US Military as they completed renovation projects at MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts). Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has supported Goodfellows for fifteen years, hosting the annual holiday party and donating more than $1 million dollars. The Houston Chronicle’s Goodfellows program helps families who need assistance purchasing toys for their children. The Rockets donated an additional $50K this year and hosted a pre-game party for a group of Goodfellows families, where they received gifts, played games, watched the Rockets game from a luxury suite, and met Clutch. 15 16 The theme was “wishes, needs and incredible reads” as 50 children from Child Advocates had an amazing experience this December, taking part in Dwight’s 3-Point Santa Project at a local mall. Participating children had the opportunity to shop for toys, electronics, shoes, and clothes. Each child also received a collection of books donated by the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. Taking care of those less fortunate during the holidays has become an annual Harden family tradition. For the fourth consecutive season, James Harden hosted a shopping spree in December for 20 single moms and their children from the Aldine Family Hope Center, Houston’s Children’s Charity, and Target Hunger, with the hopes of providing everything on the childrens’ wish lists. 17 The Rockets and Bowen, Miclette & Britt hosted a private party on December 11th at Toyota Center for children from the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a non-profit agency that provides support and services for families of children diagnosed with cancer. Children and their families enjoyed pizza, played games with Clutch on the Memorial Hermann Sky Court, and crafted holiday ornaments. The highlight of the evening was a surprise visit from James Harden, who helped pass out gifts to the children. 18 Rockets players and staff have been hosting annual holiday parties for families staying at Ronald McDonald House Houston for nearly 20 years. Ronald McDonald House provides sick children and their families a “home away from home” as they receive critical treatment. As is tradition, Rockets players and Ronald McDonald himself spent an evening in December at the House, serving dinner, taking photos, signing autographs, and handing out special gifts to every child in the house. 19 The Rockets and ZTE hosted holiday events in December for 200 underserved children at the Chil- dren’s Museum of Houston and Joystix Classic Games. Rockets players spent the afternoon at Joystix with kids from Fifth Ward Enrichment and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, as they challenged each other in a variety of arcade games. And the Children’s Museum became a giant 20 sized playground for players and children from Casa de Esperanza, Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA), Partnership for the Advancement & Immersion of Refugees (PAIR), and the Chinese Community Center. Both events provided a day of fun and excitement for all. The Rockets continued their annual support of Sunshine Kids, an organization that provides events and activities for kids battling cancer. This season, the Rockets hosted the Sunshine Kids at a game in January. Prior to the game, the kids enjoyed a private tour of the Rockets locker room facilities where they hung out with the players, received 21 personalized autographs, and took photos with their favorite athletes. 22 Terrence Jones and the Rockets treated 200 children from several local charities to a private screening of Kung Fu Panda 3. A huge movie buff, T Jones enjoyed the chance to share his love of the big screen with his many young fans. 23 Teaming up with ROOT SPORTS, the Rockets hosted the inaugural Clutch City Cares for Kids night on February 27th. Fans at the game, watching on broadcast, following on Rockets.com, or on social media had the opportunity to purchase memorabilia packages, with 100% of the proceeds going to children’s charities.