LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The founder of an after-school program is one step closer to helping more kids after receiving funding from the Little Rock City Board.
Kelvin Parker is the founder of GOAT (Giving Others Ambition Together) Academy for kids of various ages. He said part of the reason he created the program was to prevent young people from violence, adding that receiving funding is “amazing.”
“I hope to change this community overall,” Parker said.
Parker said he is trying to help every kid who walks through their door.
“Showing them a different outlook shows them you can still be cool and not necessarily in the streets,” Parker said.
Parker said that mission is one step closer after the Little Rock City Board voted to fund several after-school programs, including GOAT Academy, with $82,500.
“Receiving funds from the City of Little Rock is a big confidence boost,” he said.
The city’s funds for these programs are available from the 2024 PIT allocation, which stands for Prevention, Intervention and Treatment. Parker said they have never had this level of funding before.
“With our people in our program, we have struggled with attendance, and do we charge people or do we want to let them come free,” he said.
Parker said more young people have enrolled in the academy since we last spoke with him in 2022 and they have expanded their academics and sports. He said he hopes the funding will allow it to continue growing while helping families.
“Now there’s no battle, these kids will be able to come free of charge and be in this program,” Parker said.
He said he is excited for kids to be able to go to their programs for free, and although their organization is not large yet they can still make a big impact.
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