Valentine’s Day Party for Children’s Hospital features Vikings TE Rhett Ellison
By Adam Carlson
Minnesota Vikings tight end Rhett Ellison and his wife helped to host a Valentine’s Day party for children at Children’s Minnesota hospital patients.
For many people, Valentine’s Day is all about spending time with your significant other to show love and appreciation. Minnesota Vikings tight end Rhett Ellison went the extra mile and shared his love with others.
According to the official Vikings website, Ellison and his wife Raina spent Monday at Children’s Minnesota meeting with kids getting at the Minneapolis campus. Called “Share More Love Day”, the day was a collaboration between the Ellison family and Northwestern Mutual to raise the spirits of hospitalized young folks and their families.
Ellison spent hours with the kids, creating crafts, making artwork, playing, talking, and having fun. Rhett and his wife loved seeing the happy faces on the kids’ faces and was shocked to discover how much these kids knew about him and his NFL career.
"“There was a lot of fun, a lot of creativity, a lot of strength. You don’t know what these kids are going through, but you also can’t tell [they’re sick] when you see them with the smiles on their faces like that. And they were big football fans. If they know who I am, they’re actually watching the game,” Rhett added. “I was surprised – a couple of those kids knew specific plays that I was in and stuff, so it was really cool.”"
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Raina enjoyed her time with the children and their parents as well. Spending time with them helped to show just how powerful positive interactions and be and the amount of fun that can be had even when times are challenging.
"“It really shows you what actual strength is,” Raina said. “It’s a whole different kind of strength, and it’s just really rewarding to be around the attitude that these kids have. They have so much positivity and so much excitement, and the time flies so fast when you’re with them.”"
Megan Kirschner was at the hospital to be with her daughter Alexandra, who suffered from a ruptured appendix. She explained how much this visit meant to her daughter, who made numerous Valentine’s Day cards with Raina.
"“This is the first thing that she’s looked forward to since she’s been here – she perked up right away when she found out she could come down and do some crafts and meet [Rhett],” Megan said. “She was sure to call her dad and tell him that she was going to meet a Vikings player.”"
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It’s fantastic to see Minnesota Vikings tight end Rhett Ellison and his wife Raina take time out of their schedule to visit the children and their families at Children’s Minnesota, especially during a time of year when the youngsters may not be able to be with their loved ones for the holiday.