A family of five sat patiently at the Guadalupe Center in downtown Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon, unbeknownst of the enormous surprise that was just moments away.

Maria was here with her four children – 12-year-old Eulises, 11-year-old Alfredo, 5-year-old Gael and 3-year-old Sofia – for what she believed was a routine check-in at one of the top family support service providers in the area.

That support was indeed on the way, but it was those delivering it that left the family speechless as two familiar faces made their way into the room.

It was Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, each carrying a basket full of food and gifts for the holidays, as disbelief transformed into excitement.

“Sofia, I think I have a present for you,” Mahomes said as he handed the grinning 3-year-old a doll.

Mahomes then found a superhero toy for Gael, some Legos for Alfredo and a football for Eulises among the many gifts the young quarterback had in his possession.

Steve Sanders

In the blink of an eye, this was already an afternoon to remember.

“It was a grand surprise,” Maria said through a translator. “The first thing I thought was just, ‘Wow.’”

The emotion in the room was tangible, and the preeminent gift of the visit was still yet to come.

As the kids played with their new toys, Mahomes, Kelce and representatives from Kansas City Southern presented Maria, who suffers from a chronic condition that limits her ability to make ends meet, with a check that promised to cover the family’s home utilities in full for a calendar year.

Elation again turned to disbelief.

“This is going to be such a huge help,” Maria said. “My family will always remember this.”

Steve Sanders

It was a moment that neither Mahomes nor Kelce took lightly.

“It meant a ton to be part of that, and not just for me, but for the family,” Mahomes added. “That mom does so much and those kids are great kids. She earned everything that she got today and a thousand times more.”

Following the surprise, the players then settled in and made a point of spending time with each of the four kids.

Mahomes showed Eulises how to grip his new football while Kelce asked Alfredo about school among a myriad of other conversations that consumed the better part of an hour.

“This was a special group right here – they were picked by the Guadalupe Center for a reason,” Kelce said. “You could tell how much this mother loves her four kids and on top of that, you can see how much those kids love their mother. It was all-around just a fun experience to be here.”

Steve Sanders

And both Mahomes and Kelce certainly made the most of it, providing a personal touch throughout the entirety of the visit.

“That was the first thing we noticed – the way that the players actually engaged the children,” said Diane Rojas, Vice President of Health and Social Services at Guadalupe Centers. “I know it meant a lot to them. They know who the Chiefs are, and they don’t get that type of excitement in their life every day, so I think they were truly appreciative of this opportunity.”

Matt Starkey

The event was all made possible by the folks at Kansas City Southern, who nominated the Guadalupe Centers as the beneficiary of the Hunt Family Foundation 50/50 raffle during the Chiefs’ Week 7 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The raffle raised $56,925 for the organization, which strives to improve the quality of life for people of all ethnic backgrounds while celebrating cultural heritage, and Wednesday’s visit and subsequent gift put those donations into action.

“We just wanted to help them out,” said Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, President and CEO at Kansas City Southern. “She’s a single mother with four kids, so she has her hands full, and hopefully, with it being around Thanksgiving time and with Christmas coming up, it brings some joy to that family that they may not have had otherwise.”

‘); }else{ document.write(‘‘); } –>

“I’m not sure whose face lit up more – the family’s or mine,” said Michael J. Naatz, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Kansas City Southern. “It was so great to see the kids and to see the appreciation from the family. That’s what it’s all about.”

Steve Sanders

The event marked the second outreach endeavor benefiting the Guadalupe Centers this week between the Chiefs and Kansas City Southern, as the Chiefs Community Caring Team stopped by Guadalupe Center Middle School on Monday for a Play 60 clinic with more than two dozen kids.

Both visits demonstrated the Chiefs and Kansas City Southern’s commitment to bettering the Hispanic community right here in Kansas City, and on Wednesday, that dedication helped change some lives.

“This means everything to me. My kids will always remember what happened here today,” Maria said. “They’ll never forget this.”

And, as Kelce articulated afterwards, neither will anyone else who had a chance to be there.

“Seeing the smiles on these kids’ faces [was special],” Kelce said. “I’ll remember this day forever.”

Mahomes and the Chiefs drew a pair of controversial roughing calls in their win over the Texans on Saturday

Any idea that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are getting special treatment from officials, at least according to Mike Pereira, is just an “absolute myth.”

Pereira, a longtime NFL official and former vice president of officiating for the league, appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday and spoke with Eisen about takes from fans who think that Mahomes and the Chiefs are receiving some sort of special treatment from officials in key games. That take erupted this past weekend when Mahomes drew a controversial unnecessary roughness call in their win over the Houston Texans — which secured a return trip to the AFC championship game.

“It doesn’t resonate with me at all. … The fact that you’re looking out for anyone, any team, any individual is a myth. It is an absolute myth,” Pereira, who is currently working as Fox Sports’ rules analyst, told Eisen on Tuesday. “You don’t have time to react and say, ‘This is Goff, I’m not going to call this because it’s Goff,’ or, ‘This is Mahomes, I’ve got to call this because it’s Mahomes.’”

Mahomes, late in the third quarter Saturday, went to scramble for a first down before giving himself up at the last second. A pair of Texans defenders collided with Mahomes, though he was barely hit. Still, officials awarded Mahomes an unnecessary roughness penalty that kept their drive alive.

Both Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, who were calling the game for ESPN, were livid.

That was one of several instances in that game where the Chiefs seemed to benefit either from a call, or the lack of a call. Will Anderson Jr. got hit with a roughing the passer penalty in the first half after he barely hit Mahomes, and the Chiefs got away with a hip-drop tackle.

“Both of those in my opinion should’ve been passed on,” Pereira said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I understand why they were called because we are in a time of protection of quarterbacks and pretty much everybody, but when the league came out and defended them … that doesn’t mean they want them to be called.”

While the penalties against the Chiefs weren’t as clear cut as they could’ve been, it doesn’t mean much now. Mahomes and the Chiefs still won the game, and will now host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in an attempt to make it back to the Super Bowl and win a third consecutive championship.

And as for fans who think they know how to officiate while sitting at home on the couch with instant replay available to them, Pereira isn’t here for that either.

“It doesn’t bother me because those people who say that don’t know a damn thing about officiating,” Pereira said. “Until you actually put the uniform on, and until you have to make those quick judgments … if you haven’t done it, and you don’t recognize how hard it is in real time and how easy it is in super slow motion, then get out of my train. Get off my train, I mean it.”