We can all remember what it felt like to play as a kid.
Tuesday's ‘Training 4 Life’ fun day centered around that. Nearly 700 Acadiana area kids showed up for a day all about them.
“We wanted a day where these kids could come in and feel like they’re loved,” Arlene Hargroder, Courtesy Automotive Group Chief Co-Owner, said.
The second annual event hosted eight different boys and girls clubs. Courtesy Automotive Group, the University of Louisiana, and others partnered hoping to create a safe for these special groups.
“It’s a great feeling to give back to these kids,” Michelle Hargroder, Courtesy Automotive Group Chief Operating Officer, said. “We want to keep them off the streets. That’s why we’re having this day for them to come over and spend time with people that are positive and have good attitudes.”
The biggest part of the celebration would be the kids meeting local stars.
Carencro native Kevin Faulk and former Abbeville Wildcat Brandon Mitchell were volunteers.
Both were teammates during the New England Patriots Super Bowl XXXVI run in 2001 and love nothing more than pouring into the next generation.
“They are the future,” Faulk said. “We see what’s going on in the world. You have to show these kids you care about them in every aspect. It may not be everybody. It may be one person. As long as you touch that one kid, you’ve done your job.”
“I’m humbled by it,” Mitchell said. “I’m grateful that the kids that come here are nice, respectful, kind, and have open hearts.”
As for the future, the hope is to keep this day of enjoyment for years to come.
“They’ll remember this and the people that they may have not met before,” said.
“It’s an honor and pleasure to be a part of it,” Mitchell said. “It’s also an honor and pleasure to see these kids step up to be here.”
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