This past Father’s Day Kendrick asked me if he could start calling me “Dad.” Like many of the children in the Front Porch neighborhood, Kendrick has never had much of a relationship with his biological father.
In fact, Kendrick has never even met his real dad, and he never will.
I first met Kendrick soon after we moved to the Front Porch. He was 10 years old at that time. He’s 16 now.
Kendrick’s circle of friends has been in-and-out of jail, but I’ve been watching him make many good decisions over the last few years. However he is alone in that. He’s surrounded by people who make bad decisions. He really must choose not to go out with his friends in the neighborhood. He doesn’t even go outside to play basketball with them when he is at their home avoiding negative influences. Many of these peers are just too intertwined in destructive patterns of behavior. Kendrick’s brother, in fact, has been in jail for the last four years.
And, like other children in the neighborhood, he’s pretty much part of the family, routinely sleeping over at our house, going with us to church and spending much of his free time just hanging out. He actually calls me every Saturday that he is not already spending the weekend at our home. He’s not calling for money. He wants a ride to church.
Kendrick’s home life, like most many in this neighborhood, is unstable. His Mom is rarely home. In fact, she’s gone for weeks at a time, and Kendrick often has no idea when she’ll be back home. The refrigerator and pantry are often empty. And to save money for other essentials, Kendrick often skips lunch.
Even getting to school is a challenge. He must pay for a city bus to take him to school, because Kendrick doesn’t live in the same district as the high school he attends and is zoned for.
Last week one of his teachers fixed up an interview for Kendrick to apply for an internship with a local bank. An opportunity like this presents a number of challenges, the first of which is apparel. Kendrick has never worn, much less owned, business attire. So he and I went shopping for a suit. When we left the discount store, Kendrick looked like a million bucks. He couldn’t stop smiling.
At the interview, the banker was impressed with Kendrick’s Honor Roll grades and impressive, professional appearance. He and Kendrick had a good interview, and Kendrick passed this first screening interview. He’ll have additional interviews down the road, as he’s still in the running for the summer internship. Regardless of how the bank internship turns out, Kendrick is beginning to develop a network of post-high school possibilities.
College-level athletics might also provide a path to larger life success.
Kendrick is a big guy – about 6 foot, 5 inches – but he’s one of the most quiet, shy, and fragile kids in the neighborhood. His arm wing span is amazing. He’s just a big, athletic kid.
But emotionally, he is fragile. Not having a father or a big brother around has left emotional scars. Once when we went bowling, he just shut down after a few frames, having fallen behind the other kids. He’s quick to get down on himself and tends to think he’s worthless.
However, on the football field, he’s competitive and aggressive – almost mean and certainly intimidating. He’s strong and big. And very good.
So last weekend we drove down to Birmingham to this one-day football camp designed to help prepare high school football athletes for college-tryouts and recruiting opportunities.
Attending a camp like this – and many more of them – will be Kendrick’s only chance at a college football scholarship. This is how college football recruiting takes place in 2012. College coaches and their assistants don’t have time to go to many high school games to scout possible talent. The way college scouts notice you these days is when you attend these camps and run drills and get video taped.
With his Honor Roll grades, he might qualify for a partial scholarship through the bank, but without a FULL scholarship, the reality is he’s not going to college. That’s the reality for kids in this neighborhood.
But Kendrick was ready to attend the football camp. He worked his heart out and received high marks. One of the scouts who specifically works with quarterbacks said, “Where have you been? You gotta get out there more. You can throw. You are big. You got the tools. But not getting out there is hurting you. You gotta keep getting out here. Get to more of these camps and colleges will get to know you and want you.”
Who knows where this goes ultimately. Maybe Kendrick is the next Cam Newton or Tim Tebow. He’s similarly big and shows every indication of having real natural talent.
But one thing is sure, if he’s not at these one-day camps to be observed and instructed by college-level experts, he’s not going anywhere.
So, Front Porch Ministry will continue to be there for Kendrick going forward. We’ll keep taking him to these camps – at least as many as we can get him to – and in a position to be seen by college coaches and recruiters.
As with all the kids that we’re working with down here on the Front Porch, we’ll do our best to see that Kendrick has a chance.
Thom Hazelip
