Sporting Kansas City players Graham Zusi, Matt Besler and Kei Kamara made a special trip to Children's Mercy Hospital on Monday to visit with kids throughout the hospital as part of the club's partnership with Toshiba.
Each of the players took time to sign autographs, hand out posters and have their photos taken with more than 25 youths currently being treated at the local hospital.
Kamara, the team's
2011 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year
, tweeted from the event, "Spending my lunch time at Children's Mercy Hospital. Brings back memories from Houston. Miss those kids. Special K Loves the Kids."
One of the kids that the Sporting Kansas City players met was 11-year-old Savannah Walters (pictured above), a sixth grade student at Delta Woods Middle School in Lee's Summit, Missouri and accomplished cheerleader. The players spent time getting to know Savannah and learned about Beta Thalassemia Major, a blood disorder that requires Savannah to receive blood transfusions every three weeks.
Having been admitted at the hospital since she was under the age of four, the Walters Family calls Children's Mercy Hospital a "second home" and truly appreciated the special visit from Sporting Kansas City.
"We just want to let you know how meaningful it is when you all come up here to visit," Savannah's mother Elle wrote in an email. "Whenever they have something like that happen, it really brightens their day."
Besler, a 2011 MLS All-Star, and Zusi, the team's leader in assists, have been heavily involved in volunteer efforts at Children's Mercy. Besler supported Just Like You Films in a event that donated DVDs and backpacks at the hospital and Zusi was one of four players to take part in the head-shaving ceremony to benefit Bald is Beautiful last year (videos below).