C.S. Keys KIDS program is used as a mentorship program for our youth. Encouraging youth in a positive way to excel in school, stay out of trouble and always follow, respect and listen to their parents who are the real role models in their lives. C.S. recognizes the hard work of mother's yearly with his annual Mother's Day luncheon and a salute to single fathers with his annual Father's Day brunch.
AFE & C. S. also provides gift certificates for services & products such as massages & local restaurants to the single mothers & fathers attending his events as well as tickets to special events such as Sea World, Padres & Chargers home games.
Each year C. S. provides a Thanksgiving dinner to needy families and distributes toys and bikes to hundreds of during his annual Holiday celebrations. Our goal is to help in the development in our youth so they can lead a productive and successful life.
Want to help support CS Keys' Kids? Please visit the Web site for Celebritees and pick up one of CS' "Faith" shirts . 25 percent of all the proceeds of these shirts will support CS Keys' Kids.
C.S. Keys & AFE hosted his third annual C.S. Keys Kids Fathers Day celebration. Single fathers were nominated by FOX viewers to enjoy a morning of great food from the OUTBACK Restaurant in La Mesa and autographs from AFE’s mentor athletes.
The event was hosted by OUTBACK Restaurant who served up a delicious meal of eggs, sausages, pancakes, drinks and lot’s of smiles. San Diego 6 was on hand to tape the show for their “Sunday Sports Show”, with C.S. interviewing kids on what made their dads so special in their eyes…. Several of the children expressed gratitude for the sacrifices that their fathers make on their behalf, and many were eager to share what kinds of things their dad’s do for them on a daily basis.
AFE athletes, including event host C. S. Keys, Kassim Osgood, Kevin Mitchell, Leon White and Karl Wilson spoke with the children and their dads and signed autographs. AFE also provided NIKE apparel including t-shirts, jerseys, baseball caps to all the dads and kids. Special thanks to the crew at OUTBACK Restaurant in La Mesa for volunteering their time to serve breakfast to the families.
On Friday July 18, 2003 Athletes for Education Foundation (AFE) sponsored a morning
of giving back to the community and encouraging children to succeed in school. The Jackie Robinson YMCA was swarming with anxious children waiting patiently for the chance to meet, mingle and enjoy the company of current and retired professional athletes. The smile on a child’s face is priceless, which is exactly why C.S. Keys from the KUSI Morning Show and AFE have created “C.S. Keys’ Kids,” special events designed to encourage San Diego youth and give back to the community.
 On this Friday morning children ranging in ages from five to thirteen woke up early to attend this special event hosted by the Jackie Robinson YMCA. Thanks to sponsors, such as Sams Club, California Coast Credit Union & Naked Juice, the children enjoyed breakfast and received free t-shirts, in addition to the main event - a brand new piece of athletic equipment for each child!
Plus, AFE’s athlete volunteers were there, along with C.S., to socialize with the children and sign autographs. C.S. did all of his morning news weather reports from the event, so the kids (and athletes) enjoyed a few moments of fame as the camera captured the excitement of the morning.
“Without programs such as Athletes for Education, there would be nothing to sponsor.” said Mike Davis of California Coast Credit Union, explaining why he felt this was an important event to support. “It is good to see the kids having a good time and it is amazing to see how well they are behaving,” commented one of the parents as she watched her two children interact with the athletes.
The Jackie Robinson YMCA was a great place to hold the C.S. Keys Kids event. Located in Southeast San Diego, the YMCA is the epitome of diversity and embraces all people; the facility is truly "For Everybody.” Many of the students who attended this event were members of the YMCA who often spend countless hours with family and friends in this secure atmosphere.
“These athletes are real role models! Being out on the playing field is one thing, but giving back is a true inspiration,” says Maria Brunker, Sports Director at the YMCA, “The children enjoyed receiving autographs from the athletes on their new t-shirts, and the athletic equipment of course.” The athletes, Leon White, Karl Wilson, Lonny Mitchell, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and J. R. Tolver were delighted to be there.
J.R. from the Miami Dolphins was happy to participate in this event. Having been involved with the YMCA himself when he was younger, he enjoys hanging out with the kids and volunteering with AFE. Leon White was thrilled “to see the kid’s eyes after receiving their toys.” Karl loves having the opportunity to get out and spend time with kids, encouraging them in a positive way.
The 2004 holiday season was a wonderful time of giving for AFE! With a total of 9 special events in the month of December, we gave away 1,850 new toys, t-shirts and hot meals to children and their families throughout San Diego County. Participants were invited through several organizations, including the MAAC Project's Head Start & Early head Start Programs, Neighborhood House Association’s Early Head Start and New Life Head Start programs and Episcopal Community Service’s Early Head Start Program.
C.S. Keys' Kids Holiday party, hosted by Metabolife, took place on December 20th at Metabolife’s corporate offices. Families from the South Bay Head Start program enjoyed t-shirts, breakfast and visit by Santa and Yoo Hoo the clown, who made balloon animals and painted faces. C.S. Keys was there to encourage the families.
All of these programs are made possible by the generous support of our sponsors. The Metabolife Foundation and The Eisenberg Group, A.C. was this year’s host sponsors; and was joined by the following sponsors:
Active Graphix, Kiwanis Club of Balboa Park, Kings Fish House Carlsbad & Mission Valley, PEPSI, PCS WorldNet, INC., San Diego City Fire Fighters Local 145 I.A.F.F., Smart & Final-Midway and Wal*Mart-Vista. Many thanks to all for making Holidays for our Youth 2004 such a success!
The other key ingredient to the success of this year’s events was the participation of our volunteers. Thank you to all AFE’s volunteers who gave of their time during this holiday season to bring joy to kids… This year’s celebrity participants were Tonie Campbell, Darren Carrington, Tam Do, Floyd Fields, C.S. Keys, Kevin Mitchell, Lonny Mitchell, Martin Moss, Brett Tomko, Leon White, Karl Wilson and Tim Ware. We are also very proud to be raising up a new generation of givers…the children of many of our athletes and volunteers came along this year and were invaluable helpers. Thanks to everyone for their tireless dedication and giving spirit…
We could not do what we do without our own Santa’s, who provide AFE with the great gifts that we get to giveaway. Tom Groff is one of AFE’s “angels,” who hosts an annual Holiday party; price of admission is a new toy, which Tom in turn gives to AFE. This year we also had a several toy drives over the month of December hosted by the following corporations: Vicky Mann (PBG), Scott Leggett (Coast, Orthopaedic Surgery Centers and the three Spine & Sport Physical Therapy offices) Brian Sexton (Merrill Lynch, La Jolla office) and a “secret Santa” from Carlsbad.
So, thanks to our Santa’s, whose efforts resulted in over 1,850 great toys being given to children in need.
Of course, the greatest reward of these programs is the smiles we bring to so many children’s faces during a time of year that can be very difficult for families with economic struggles. We count among our blessings the opportunity to give and to touch young lives during the holiday season. Plans are already underway for our 2005 holiday programs; please contact us if you are interested in making a donation, hosting a toy drive and/or volunteering.
On Friday, June 13, AFE kicked off a special partnership with C.S. Keys from the KUSI Morning Show: “C.S. Keys Kids,” special events designed to encourage San Diego youth and give back to the community. Our first event was a breakfast party for single fathers and their children, a great kick-off to Father’s Day that Sunday.
The event was hosted by Outback Steakhouse in La Mesa who, although they don’t offer breakfast on their regular menu, served up a delicious meal of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. C.S. did his morning show live shots from the event, and asked a lot of the children what made their dads so special. Several of the children expressed gratitude for the sacrifices that their fathers make on their behalf, and many were eager to share what kinds of things their dad’s did for them on a daily basis.
AFE athletes, including Leon White, Karl Wilson, and AFE Executive Director Steven Haynes spoke with the children and their dads and signed autographs. AFE also provided each family with tickets to The San Diego Zoo so that they could enjoy a fun outing together. Special thanks to the crew at Outback Steakhouse for volunteering their time to serve breakfast to the families, and to SBC, who provided the Zoo tickets.
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