KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A local group of boys are more focused on selling fireworks this year than setting them off.
The local non-profit, Freedom Hoops, has a stand set up at 3909 Mission Road in Kansas City, Kansas. Freedom Hoops is an urban basketball ministry that uses the sport to help mentor and transform kids in the community.
Tristan Hampton, 13, is part of the organization and helped run the stand on Saturday.
"It gives me something to do over the summer, and sometimes I don't have anything to do, and when people don't have anything to do they start to do bad stuff. So that's why. I didn't want to do no bad stuff so I'm going to be here," Hampton said.
Freedom Hoops' founder, Michael Loney, said the non-profit focuses on children from certain areas around the metro.
"We focus on the northeast of Kansas City, Missouri, where there's a lot of low income, project housing units and so there's about 750 that we focus on," Loney said.
When the organization first formed in 2014, Loney said there were only 6 kids, now there are more than 50.
The faith-based organization focuses on building leaders and providing kids with opportunities.
"We going to have tournaments, we're going to have activities, take us to all the colleges, take us to, like, out to eat and stuff and so I was liking it," Hampton said.
Proceeds from the fireworks stand will help Freedom Hoops continue their mission.
"We have some kids, you know, who say, legitimate you know, that Freedom Hoops saved their life, you know, and if it wasn't for Freedom Hoops, who knows where they would be," Loney said.
The fireworks stand is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. through July 4. To learn more about Freedom Hoops, or to make a donation, visit their website..
