Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce has made his first purchase after his four-year contract extension – the “Ignition Lab: Powered by 87 and Running.”
Kelce posted a letter to Kansas City on his official Twitter account Friday night announcing the STEM lab. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Dear Kansas City,
Six more years, baby. I could not begin to tell you how much this city means to me. You took me with me seven years ago and made all my dreams come true! I can not wait to give you another six seasons of everything I got when I took the field with my brothers.
But I’m also up for the job I have left to do off the field. The amazing kids I have seen growing up in downtown KC for the last seven years are now teenagers navigating a world that does not always have its back.
The vision is to provide these teens in underdeveloped neighborhoods of KC with a safe haven. A place where they are exposed to interests and role models far beyond the field as a court. Children cannot concentrate if they do not feel safe. They can not imagine a career they have never heard of or a skill they have never learned.
So together with Operation Breakthrough we will create this place.
I’m excited to announce that I’m buying the building that will be the future home of the “Ignition Lab: Powered by 87 & Running” – a collaborative space where these teens have the support, resources and opportunity to explore careers in VOTE, launch their own entrepreneurial ventures and gain real world experience.
As a child I was aware of what life looked like for everyone else, but as a man I was aware of the difference in opportunity, exposure and privilege where I grew up compared to others. Where you live, the situation in which you were born or the color of your skin should not affect the dreams you may have. And it’s a wonderful thing when a child’s dream comes true.
The Cleveland Heights landlord was drafted into the Chiefs in 2013, and it’s moves like these that have made him one of Kansas City’s own.
- Operation breakthrough provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and empowers their families through advocacy, relief and education. More over here.
- Eighty-seven and running helps underage youth to become productive citizens by mentoring and motivating them to explore and develop their capacities while learning critical life skills. More over here.
