2024 kicked off with a special community event as Lapstone, Stadium Custom Kicks and Eagles' punter Braden Mann lent a helping hand to the KB Foundation by participating in a day of service at the Guerin Recreation Center that featured a Sneaker Design workshop and basketball clinic. The event served to jumpstart a fundraising event for their L.E.A.P. program's annual summer trip to Africa. The Lapstone team along with artists from Stadium Custom Kicks mentored the boys through the storytelling and design process while assisting in bringing their vision to life in the form of one-of-one custom painted shoes.
The KB Foundation is a mentorship organization founded by Kirk Berry with a mission to build the development and social competencies of adolescent youth in the Philadelphia area through education, recreational, and hands-on learning experiences. Their Leadership Education Abroad Program (L.E.A.P.) provides the opportunity for rising ninth-grade students from underserved communities to visit the continent of Africa and have a full transformative international experience. Their mentoring model is based on one principle: “exposure is life”.
"This is a 100% free opportunity for the young people who are part of our KB Foundation," Berry said, "This fundraising helps make the trip for these boys as smooth as possible. Any dollars raised for our LEAP program are for the youth to be able to get their passports, their visas, their vaccination shots, if needed."
Braden Mann was happy to step away from the whirlwind of the Eagles season for an afternoon to spend time with the kids and learn about the KB Foundation. "I think the trip to Africa is amazing," Mann said. "They've been telling me a little bit about it and what they did. I think it's a really awesome cause. And any way I can kind of help out and contribute would be great."
If you would like to help out and contribute as KB Foundation prepares for their 2024 L.E.A.P Trip please hit the link and donate to support this great initiative.
Photos by Brian Mermelstein
