Make-A-Wish families from North Texas got a chance to get their minds off of day-to-day stresses by going on a special tour of TCU athletic facilities and attending a TCU baseball game.

TCU athletics, Chi Omega and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas partnered up to bring the event together Saturday.

Associate Athletic Director of Internal Relations Jack Hesselbrock said he felt Make-A-Wish was a great program and he wanted to use his position to help give  kids a day of fun.

This was not Hesselbrock’s first experience with Make-A-Wish, though. He has a personal connection with the organization, as his daughter Molly was a wish grantee in 2004.

“Experiencing this as a parent back in ‘04 and ‘05, you’re in hospitals and you live day-to-day. It’s really a tough thing just to continue being positive,” Hesselbrock said. “And to give them a day away from all of that and to watch the kids run around the practice field lets the parents kind of get away from what is a tough situation in their life.”

Hesselbrock connected with Zoe Butts, secretary for Chi Omega, after a committee meeting. The two came up with the idea for the event last winter.

Chi Omega’s national philanthropy is Make-A-Wish, and this was the first official event that TCU Athletics has done with the foundation, Butts said.

Jessica Kolkmeyer, director of development for Make-A-Wish North Texas, said she thought the event was a great idea and a chance for the families to come out and enjoy some baseball and a day at the university.

Kolkmeyer said it was hard to pick a favorite part of the day for the children, but they enjoyed running on the indoor football practice field.

“Once we got into the practice field, they all just ran amok, and they were racing each other and chasing each other around, and I think they just had a really good time in that huge open space,” Kolkmeyer said.

Before the group went over to the baseball game, Chi Omega presented a check for $3,160 to Make-A-Wish of North Texas.