christina and Y
Ysabella and Christina

Travis Lawson, American Red Cross Contributor

She was just five years old when Red Cross volunteer Christina Byers saw the Globetrotters perform at The Summit, the former Houston Rockets’ arena turned mega church. On July 8, Christina will be taking her 9-year-old daughter Ysabella to see the same fun-loving basketball group perform at NRG Stadium.

High-flying basketball wizards and official charity partner of the Red Cross, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to provide light-hearted, acrobatic entertainment in 2017. Founded in 1926, the team has played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 122 countries and territories, and plans to visit over 300 cities during their 2017 season.

One of those stops will be in Houston, where the Globetrotters will perform at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, at NRG Stadium and 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 9th, at The Berry Center in Cypress. In attendance will be Christina, who still remembers the thrill of attending her first Globetrotter’s game with her parents and siblings.

“I was awestruck by the whole experience,” Christina said. “I just remember being very excited about going and the anticipation leading up to it. I was amazed by how larger-than-life they were in person and the atmosphere with the music, props and commentators. ”

Christina admits she still hopes the trampoline routine is part of the act this weekend, because she still remembers it as her favorite performance at The Summit. Trampoline or not, she is still looking forward to sharing that same excitement with her daughter, who is already a basketball fan and player in the making.

“When I found out about the opportunity to go through the Red Cross, I immediately knew I wanted to take my daughter. We are a sports family and she is already interested in the game of basketball,” Christina said. “I can’t wait to share this wonderful memory from my childhood with Ysabella.”

For more information on the Globetrotter’s game in Houston July 8 and 9, other games happening across the country or the Red Cross partnership with the team, visit http://www.redcross.org/donations/ways-to-donate/harlem-globetrotters.