Kansas City youth basketball program burglarized
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A program that teaches inner-city youth basketball, and the gym the organization uses, was burglarized earlier this week according to the man who runs it.
“We were coming in to serve the kids, start practice, and I realized that my door was open,” said Marcus Walker, owner of Grindhouse Basketball. “Basketballs, jerseys, cones, ladders, and the stereo system were taken.”
Walker, a former pro-athlete turned trainer in the metro, took to social media, saying everything was gone.
Inside the Milestone Youth Center on E. 12th Street in Kansas City, it may look like just a basketball court. For Walker, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
“It’s a staple in the community. and pretty much a place where people can come and get served, whether in sports or outreach,” said Walker. “I’m from this neighborhood. Learned a lot in this neighborhood and had a lot of opportunities coming out of this neighborhood.”
Walker says he is remaining optimistic following the break in.
“I was built for this, so I understand that this location,” said Walker. “As bad as it may sound, it comes with the game. At the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re going through. I don’t know why they felt the need they would want to take it, but I feel like whatever they do with it, I hope it’s for a good reason.”
If you would like to help, Walker says you can make monetary donations to Venmo at $grindhousebasketball, Zelle at 816-308-3544, or on PayPal at grindhousebasketball.
He is hoping to turn this negative into a positive and is focusing on finding volunteers to help when kids get out of school for the summer. He is at the gym daily, and depending on the night, you can find dozens of kids in the facility.
Looking toward the future, Walker wants to update the facilities and help more kids in the community. He wants those living in the area to have a sense of pride in where they train, as well as where they come from.
“If we can make sure that we provide them with these things,” said Walker, “we’re talking about different community centers, the kids not having anywhere to go. We gotta do a better job of giving them something to do rather than them trying to find it, so that’s why this is important.”
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