Temple Wildcats Rally Around Family Recovering From Crash

A Temple family recovering from a head-on car crash was showered with gifts and love Thursday thanks to the efforts of the Temple Quarterback Club, Extreme Cheer, and Wildcat fans across Central Texas.

When we asked our audience to nominate a family in need of help this Christmas season, we received hundreds of responses, and Laura Patterson's name came up time and time again. When the Quarterback Club invited us along to surprise her family at home with both the donations they raised and our prizes, we knew we had to be part of this special event.

Laura and her two sons - 10-year-old R.J. and 19-year-old Quashawn - were traveling along Highway 53 on December 1 on their way to the Wildcat playoff game against Port Arthur Memorial when a car travelling the opposite direction swerved into their lane, striking them head-on.

The Temple Telegram reported the frightening details of the family's injuries, which Laura explains in the video above. To put it bluntly, they were pretty banged up.

When word of the crash reached the Quarterback Club, they immediately began efforts to raise donations from Wildcat fans and Central Texas businesses in order to help the family focus on recovering and help them have a happy Christmas.

As we reviewed your nominations for our Christmas On Us Giveaway, we were floored by how many people were writing in to recommend Laura and her family.

Thank you to the Temple Quarterback Club and Extreme Cheer for inviting us to help bring love and light to a family in need this Christmas, and thank you to all the listeners, sponsors, and donors who made it all possible!