It was 2002. Rick Macdonald of The Legends of Real Estate was tired of listening to his kids complain about what they didn’t have. He’d heard about Metro Kids Konnection through his friend, Terry Lane, who founded the afterschool program in the Cleveland Arms Apartment community on Jacksonville’s Northwest side.
“I think I’ll teach them a lesson in gratitude,” he thought to himself and took them to see children who had much less than they had.
“They had a great time,” he says today, “and I was the one who left with a broken heart.”
Shortly after that Rick joined the non-profit’s board and helped build Metro Kids Konnection. He’s served as the board’s chairman since 2002 and has been instrumental in gaining friends and funding over the past eight years. This year he led the board as they constructed a new 4,200 square foot facility with a top-quality playground outside.
“Metro has made a huge difference in the community,” he’ll tell you.
Since 1996 when Metro was founded, juvenile arrests have been reduced by 79 percent. When Terry Lane started working with the children and youth, almost none made it through or even to high school. Fewer than 60 percent were promoted to the next grade. Today, some 93 percent of Metro’s kids are promoted. Two are in college. Five are in Early College High School. Some are taking classes through Florida Virtual School. Two are in the National Junior Honor Society, and one in the National Honor Society. One earned a perfect score on the seventh grade math FCAT.
How do you gain results like that?
“It’s all about relationships,” said Lane. “In this community, the children and youth face a lot of factors that make it difficult to stay focused: crime, violence, early sexual activity, illegal drugs and lack of positive adult role models. A little encouragement from a caring adult who’s willing to invest in them over the long term is what it takes.”
Metro also provides tutoring, sports, recreation and other activities that help children and youth dream beyond their circumstances and achieve success. Compassionate caring along with accountability helps children and youth realize their value and the consequences of their decisions.
When asked how he decides what to do in his programs, Lane says, “I just do what a father would do.” The children and youth at Metro live in families that have not had a father in the family for four or five generations. They need a loving heart and a firm guide to show them how to live. They need someone who will demonstrate positive ways to have fun. Lane hosts Youth Night once a week. Wacky games, prizes and life lessons taught with compassion and understanding give teens a place to be themselves without worrying about keeping their guard up.
Metro Kids Konnection provides all the resources a child needs to succeed in both school and in life. Whether it’s hot meals in the evening (every weekday) or school supplies, Metro provides it because the sad fact is that the family can’t. Metro staff and volunteers advocate for the children at home, in the community and at school. If a child has a problem, Metro is there to help.
It costs a lot to run a program like Metro. But what is the value of even one life saved from drug addiction? Or seeing a teen go to college when everyone in their family dropped out before eighth grade?
(If you would like to learn more about Metro, call 764-8055, see the website at www.metrokids-jax.org or write Metro Kids Konnection, 5010 Cleveland Road, Jacksonville 32210.)