Kids of incarcerated parents run drills with Dallas Cowboys at The Star in Frisco

The line of kids and parents stretched past the 50-yard replica turf and around The Star in Frisco. Inside, excited chatter filled the room while people squeezed past a mass of almost indistinguishable check-in lines.
Volunteers held up T-shirts, trying to find the right size for the children standing in front of them. Other kids sat on the floor while trying on new Nike sneakers, too anxious to wait for a chair to open up.
When the families got to the stands, the kids handed their belongings to their guardians before running out onto the field to throw footballs around with each other and Angel Tree volunteers, waiting for the event to begin.
Over 300 children ages 7-17 of incarcerated adults were joined by their guardians Sunday afternoon at the Ford Center to practice their football skills with Dallas Cowboys players and staff.
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Sunday’s sports camp was the fourth collaboration between the team and Prison Fellowship, a Christian nonprofit that works with the children and families of incarcerated adults through their Angel Tree program.
Ashley David, who watched her 13- and 14-year-old sons from the stands, said events like these show there is a good side to every bad situation.
“My kids love football, and now they get to interact with other kids that are kind of in the same situation,” she said. “I think this is a pretty cool thing.”
The children were divided into groups by age and rotated through drill stations around the field. They worked with Cowboys players at each station — dashing in relay races, tackling agility drills and receiving drills — before running to the next station.
“I think anytime you’re out playing sports and running and moving and catching balls, there’s a little bit of adrenaline,” John Fassel, special teams coordinator for the Cowboys, told The Dallas Morning News. “And so the mood goes up, the energy goes up and everybody seems to be happy.”
Fassel has been working with the organization for six years. He began collaborating with Prison Fellowship when he worked with the Los Angeles Rams and continued this relationship when he moved to Dallas.
While the children were working with the players, Prison Fellowship offered a “caregiver session” for their parents and guardians. This session has been part of the day’s programming for the past three years, according to sports camp manager Austin Grammer. He said the organization noticed a gap in their programming during its first year working with the Cowboys, so the fellowship began offering the session with the goal of building community among the caregivers.
The session, Grammar said, is a presentation of different resources available, but it also encourages attendees to share their own experiences.
Laura Sebedra, who brought her 8- and 10-year-old sons to the sports camp, said she appreciated the community aspect of this event.
“Seeing all the moms and stuff, you know it kind of warms your heart to know that you’re not the only one,” she said.
Once the drills finished, all the children gathered on the field to hear from Fassel and the participating Cowboys players. After spending a few minutes scoping out any potential birthdays in the crowd, Fassel praised his yearslong relationship with Prison Fellowship, as well as the players, staff and volunteers for choosing to spend their day at the camp.
“I’m very grateful to be a part of this again,” he said.
The 12 Cowboys players standing with Fassel spoke about hard work, determination and how grateful they were to participate in the camp.
“You can be anything you put your mind to, so don’t ever let anyone say you can’t be whatever you want to be,” linebacker Buddy Johnson said. “Always be brave, always have courage and always be yourself.”
Once the camp ended, as parents and children began leaving the Ford Center, Rachel Houston sat at the top of the stands. She was waiting for her 15-year-old son to finish playing football while her 12-year-old daughter stood next to her, exchanging phone numbers with a new friend.
After being unable to attend this camp last year, Houston said, she was glad to make it this year despite her family’s busy schedule.
“It’s been a pretty big day for me. I’m ready for it to be done,” she said. “But it was worth it.”