Kidz XL reinforced the importance of education

During my college years at FIU I was blessed to be a part of an amazing church family and group of people that helped mold me into the husband, father, and man that I am today. Being a college athlete, Kidz XL allowed me an opportunity to mentor and be around kids; sharing the story of Christ as well as tutoring and helping kids with their homework. I enjoyed every moment mentoring and playing with the kids which ultimately allowed me to find my passion in life. I now am married to my best friend and together we have three beautiful baby girls. We own a chiropractic and sports performance business where I now train and mentor athletes for a living. Kidz XL was my first job and I was able to watch it grow into such a Christ filled and successive program that has such a positive impact on the community. Knowing that I was a part of the program's beginning is such a huge blessing and accomplishment to me. I cherish many many wonderful memories that I made while working at Kidz XL. I am blessed to have been a part of Kidz XL and to have established such a beautiful relationship with Pastor Rollo, Nick, Sarah, and family.

Working with Kidz XL was an incredible experience for me. It provided me the enriching opportunity to invest in young people from the pre-K through 12th grade level. I was able to learn from and share experiences with students and fellow staff members from different areas of the country and World. It was enlightening for me to see the importance of after school and summer programming for students. The program helps to meet a critical need for our communities.

I have since been able to utilize the principles and lessons that I learned from Kidz XL to conduct educationally programming in cities across the country. Because of the spark that was ignited at Kidz XL, I was able to be a part of impacting lives in Los Angeles, Oakland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City among other locations.

Kidz XL reinforced the importance of education and the vehicle for social mobility and community development that it can. It played a part in inspiring me to go on to complete a Ph.D. in Public Administration in 2014. Thank you Pastor Rollo and Pastor Nic for allowing me to be a part of the program. I encourage you to keep positively impacting the lives of our youth.

Marcus Bright

Former Kidz XL Assistant Program Director