About Us

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