Fang-tastic Feast and Coat Giveaway
The Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) has partnered with several agencies to create a conflict resolution hub at the Gregg/Klice center. We started programming there in June 2019, and host weekly and monthly events in addition to having mediations, trainings and community outreach. CCR has a consistent presence at Gregg/Klice and has a staff member there 5 days a week between 2-8 PM.
One of our facilitators, Damone, participated in the Fang-tastic Feast and Coat Giveaway at Gregg/Klice on October 28, 2019. Here’s what he had to say:
Frank Clark, the Defensive End of the Kansas City Chiefs hosted a Feast and Coat giveaway at the Gregg/Klice Community Center last night. Some of my students were there and were uninterested in meeting anyone, as they just wanted something to eat. (Gates BBQ). A couple strings were pulled and into the Restorative Justice room of the Gregg Center comes Frank Clark, in full Dracula get up. He spoke to the boys about his upbringing, and how he didn't have much of anything growing up, but then he saw people he knew that had money but they got it the wrong way, and was inspired to do the things he needed to do to get what they had, without doing what they did. He went to school for free on a scholarship and is now able to help his family and have all of the things that he always wanted as a kid that he thought he would never have. He spoke to these young men for like 20 minutes. The boys, who before were unimpressed with a professional athlete talking to them about anything other than food in their stomachs, were now saying how the trips to in school suspension (ISS) were over and how this is the "last time you will see me in ISS... I am motivated to stay in school and try to get to college for free."
They all said similar things about being motivated and how they just wanted to do good in school...now. Frank Clark took time away from his schedule and event to talk to these boys and may have impacted their lives, for the better, for the foreseeable future. Having a Pro athlete spend some time with them may be a turning point in their lives.
