Nov 13, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Reliant and Deshaun Watson Surprise Student Athletes with Scholarships at Second Annual Charity Flag Football Game

Eight Houston-area high school students were surprised by Reliant and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson with $5,000 scholarships at the company’s second annual Reliant Charity Flag Football Game. As part of the surprise, the students joined local media personalities for a fun game of flag football to raise money for deserving nonprofits.

The Scholarship for Champions program recognizes local students for their leadership in athletics, academics and community involvement. Since its inception in 2005, the Scholarship for Champions program has awarded $480,000 to 96 students from the greater Houston area.

This year’s scholarship recipients, which include athletes in basketball, track, cheerleading, softball and more, were encouraged by Watson, a standout scholar who graduated from Clemson University in three years. He commended the students for their dedication to athletics and academics and emphasized the importance of leadership and giving back to the local community.

“We love being able to recognize hardworking, deserving students through our Scholarship for Champions program,” said Elizabeth Killinger, president, Reliant. “We also were happy to have Deshaun Watson, who is an excellent role model both on the field and in life, present to help celebrate these students’ accomplishments. Our work with Deshaun to ‘Power It Forward’ through community involvement is part of our commitment to being a positive force in the community.”

Scholarship for Champions

The Scholarship for Champions program, which was created from a partnership between Reliant and the Houston Texans, celebrates local students’ athletic and academic performance, personal character and dedication to his or her community with a $5,000 scholarship. Each recipient plays on a varsity team, maintains a minimum 3.0 grade point average and plans to pursue a college degree.

The 2018 students included athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds:

  • Yaa Ann Agyeman-Yeboah, captain of the cheerleading team at Glenda Dawson High School
  • Pascaline Chuma, outside hitter on the volleyball team at Wisdom High School
  • Jared Clark, captain of the swimming team, triathlon competitor, mountain biker and runner on the cross-country team at Bellaire High School
  • Chad Graham, point guard on the basketball team and 400-meter and relay runner on the track and field team at St. Pius X High School
  • Chanelle Houston, cheerleader and hurdles competitor on the track and field team at Aldine Eisenhower High School
  • Jesus Iniguez, captain, goalie and forward of the soccer team at Stafford High School
  • Haley Samuelsen, shortstop and centerfield on the softball team at Langham Creek High School
  • Jason Williams, safety and wide receiver on the football team and basketball player at Angleton High School

Reliant Charity Flag Football Game

In addition, local Houston media had an opportunity to show off their football skills and raise money for a charity of their choice during the second annual Reliant Charity Flag Football Game held at the Houston Methodist Training Center. A total of $13,250 was raised for eight deserving charities during the game.

The following Houston media personalities participated in the game:

  • Meagan Clanahan, Houston Moms Blog on behalf of Congenital Heart Foundation
  • Paul Gallant, Sports Radio 610 on behalf of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
  • David Gow, Gow Media on behalf of American Cancer Society
  • Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle on behalf of Houston Humane Society
  • Raheel Ramzanali, ESPN Radio and SportsMap on behalf of Community Focus Foundation
  • Brandi Smith, KHOU-TV (CBS) on behalf of Girls, Inc.
  • Justin Stapleton, KPRC-TV (NBC) on behalf of SoleAna Stables
  • Adam Wexler, KPRC-TV (NBC) on behalf of DePelchin Children’s Center

About Reliant, an NRG company

Reliant powers, protects and simplifies life by bringing electricity, security and related services to homes and businesses across Texas. Serving customers and the community is at the core of what we do, with Reliant being nationally recognized for outstanding customer service and experience. Reliant is part of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), a Fortune 500 company that creates value through best-in-class operations and reliable and efficient electric generation. Backed by a diverse portfolio of power generating facilities, NRG’s competitive residential electricity business, which includes Reliant, is the largest in the country and powers more than 3 million customers across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about Reliant, please visit reliant.com and connect with Reliant on Facebook at facebook.com/reliantenergy and Twitter or Instagram @reliantenergy. PUCT Certificate #10007.