About the KC Keys

The Kansas City Keys, founded in 1976, believe the way to create responsible citizens is through the education of our youth. The Kansas City Keys take a holistic approach to the development of our youth through an intertwined combination of activities for the body (athletics), mind (education) and spirit (creating extended families and encouraging young people to seek out God).

The Kansas City Keys Community Council is a youth development organization, qualified under Section 501(c )(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Keys have served economically challenged youth (primarily students from single parent homes), in the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri since the mid-1970’s.

We offer constructive, extra-curricular activities to urban core youths as a vehicle to reach these children and teach them personal responsibility and life-skills. In a sports environment, children learn the value of rules, teamwork and ethics. We emphasize academics in sports, and in order to participate in our athletics, children must participate in grade card monitoring. Tutoring referrals is available to children who need it.

Programs included in the curriculum are:

• Education before sports – Tutoring, grade monitoring, counseling, computer training, seminars
• Sports – Basketball, Football, Track and Field
• Clinics – Checkups, physicals, drug prevention and awareness, health awareness, nutrition workshop

Program Goals

To provide drug awareness and prevent children from ever experimenting with drugs,

assist over 500 youth who are participating in an existing youth development sports program improve academic achievement,

To conduct non-traditional, life skill activities that will reduce the likelihood of a negative lifestyle and increase positive aspects of the lives of over 500 youth while encouraging prevention of participating in drugs and drug activities.

Board Members

Members of the KC Keys Board are elected every three years and have various background and talents

Harrel Johnson Jr.	President
Harrel has been the President of the Keys since its inception in 1988. He has served in capacity as administrator, coordinator for sports, education, tournament and travel teams.
Ron White	Treasurer
Ron has worked with the Keys for 5 years as a volunteer and the last year and a half as the treasurer.
Diane Johnson	Administrative Assistant
Keith Brown	Member
David Ersery	Member
Myrtle Johnson	Member
Donald Maxwell	Member
Donald Edward Maxwell primarily practices in the areas of corporate, real estate, transactional and small business law. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas, where he earned his law degree in 1998. Mr. Maxwell was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1998 and the Kansas Bar in 1999. He is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Lawyers Association of Kansas City. He also served as treasurer of the Jackson County Bar Association from January 1999-December 2000. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for Destination Kansas City, the board of directors for Kansas City Keys and is in the 2002 class of the Centurions Leadership Program. Mr. Maxwell began his association with Shughart Thomson & Kilroy in 1998. University of Kansas, J.D. 1998 University of Missouri, B.S. 1995