Photo: Colin E. Braley/AP
Dustin Colquitt has his heart in the right place, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The longtime Kansas City Chiefs punter spent his day Wednesday at the University of Kansas Health System’s Pediatric unit, visiting with the patients and delivering sweets from Russell Stover.
“[Russell Stover] launched a Make Happy campaign, which couldn’t be cooler — very special at a perfect time in our society where you look around and you think, ‘We want to try to find the joy again,’ ” he tells PEOPLE of signing on for the special outing. “Russell Stover chocolates is able to do that, not only with their iconic brand but the time that they spend with the University of Kansas Hospitals — they go in and put a smile on these kids’ faces and these caretakers that don’t get a lot of good news.”
Colin E. Braley/AP
The event comes as local Kansas City-headquartered Russell Stover continues the campaign dedicated to the joy of gifting — not just for Valentine’s Day but anytime — reinforcing the belief that little acts of generosity make life sweeter.
Colquitt says that being a father of five also colored his experience volunteering at a children’s hospital.
“I’ll tell you at the end of the day, you go home and you’re reading the stories to your kids before you go to bed. You’re talking about the day,” he shares. “You just hug their necks, because you realize that they’re healthy. It puts life in perspective. ”
The 37-year-old tells PEOPLE it’s important to give back to the area he’s been a part of for 15 years, since joining the Chiefs in 2005.
“I do a lot of stuff in the community with not only children but also in hospital communities,” says Colquitt.
And that passion was obvious on Super Bowl Sunday.
“Athletics brings people together, and so it’s fun to be a part of it,” Colquitt says. “There’s nerves involved, but it’s also those things that, you know —, God put me here for a reason and it’s to entertain and bring this country together. That was a lot of fun in the Super Bowl.”
And Colquitt’s entire family was there to support him, which made the victory even sweeter.
“When I saw my family running across the field through that confetti, I’ve never seen a 13-year-old jump higher,” he recounts. “We were doing confetti angels. It was just a special moment that me and Christia, my wife, finally were able to experience after 15 seasons in Kansas City.”
source: people.com
