Leading members of the King’s Academy Lions football team recently took a break from training camp and spent the afternoon visiting with children receiving treatment in the oncology department at the West Palm Beach Children’s Hospital.
Seniors Marcus Houston, Daniel Delgado and A.J. Pasquale joined coach Heath Nivens, as well as juniors Garrett Larson and James Holland, on the special visit. The players spent the afternoon visiting with children and teenagers in the hospital and shared stories, played video games, handed out candy and tossed miniature King’s Academy Lion footballs with the children.
The players made it clear that the trip had an immediate impact on them and not just the children they were visiting. “It was remarkable to see how strong the kids were,” said Pasquale, the senior quarterback, of his experience at the hospital. “It was a great feeling knowing that we could help brighten their day.”
Houston, the senior defensive back, agreed. “The trip was a humbling experience and showed me how thankful I should be,” he said. “I had a great time seeing a smile come across the kids’ faces.”
The Lions will begin their season with the Kickoff Classic against the Benjamin School on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. on the King’s Academy campus.
The King’s Academy is a nationally recognized private Christian school serving approximately 1,200 students from preschool through 12th grade and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Association of Christian Schools International and the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. The King’s Academy serves students and their families across Palm Beach and Hendry counties at its main campus at Belvedere Road and Sansbury’s Way in West Palm Beach, its Clewiston campus on Caribbean Avenue and its satellite preschool campuses in Greenacres, Palm Beach Gardens and Royal Palm Beach. More information about the King’s Academy is available online at www.tka.net.
Above: (Front row, L-R) A.J. Pasquale, James Holland and Garrett Larson; (back row) Marcus Houston and Daniel Delgado.