Pacers center Myles Turner and seven other PS&E folks helped out at the telethon on Tuesday. [Photo via @PeytonChildrens]
Eight members of Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) traveled to the north side of Indy to lend a hand (and ear) to a telethon going on Tuesday at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent.
RTV-6 in Indianapolis broadcasted live from the telethon throughout the day. The one-day telethon raised a total of $207,289.
One of those representatives could not be missed. It was 7-footer Myles Turner, the Pacers’ first-round pick in June.
Before even stepping foot in the hospital, Turner surprised the PS&E crew he was with when he said that he’d like to make a donation in the name of Alyssa Cortez, a friend back home in Texas who has spina bifida, a birth defect when a baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly.
With the 19-year-old donating $3,000 and the Pacers organization on board for $5,000, these eight representatives arrived with $8,000 in donations towards the great cause.
@PeytonChildrens telethon today with @Original_Turner supporting #peytonsteam pic.twitter.com/GbrZZYQQho
— Sarah B (@SarahEBaird) September 1, 2015
SEE ALSO: The St. Vincent Center, the Pacers’ planned $50 million practice facility, to break ground in 30 days.
Turner was joined by the following people: PS&E President & COO Rick Fuson, Indiana Fever President & GM Kelly Krauskopf, Terry Tiernon, Donna Wilkinson, Janae’ Swan, Sarah Baird, and Michael Lake.
The team answered the phone lines for an hour Tuesday afternoon in a third floor patient lounge that was converted into a mini television studio.
Turner took a call and donation from a high school friend who saw his tweet. Former Fever coach and Hall of Famer Lin Dunn even called in to pledge her support.
At 2:30 p.m., their shift ended. But Turner was compelled to stay at the hospital a little longer. He walked around to visit with patients and try to lift their spirits.
You can support the telethon by calling 844-4-PEYTON, or texting “PMCH” to 72727.
Watch ESPN’s feature on Turner and Cortez:
Watch Turner present the big check live on RTV-6:
Boomer is @PeytonChildrens! #PeytonsTeam #Telethon
1-844-4-PEYTON pic.twitter.com/KhcrEcuLvR
— P. Manning Childrens (@PeytonChildrens) September 1, 2015