KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's not every day kids get to meet someone like NFL player Isiah Pacheco.
The Chiefs running back has done 11 youth football camps in his New Jersey hometown, but this is a first for many kids in Kansas City.
Before he gets back to work at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, he's giving kids an opportunity he didn't have at their age.
"I know they're looking up to me, and I wish I had someone like that in my life, and I know I'm gonna have a good camp with them so they remember it," Pacheco said.
While a football field full of starry-eyed kids wanted the chance to catch a throw from Pacheco, KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson spoke with a 15-year-old who hoped the Chiefs player would see more than football talent.
"I want him to see I put in hard work," Joseph Banks, a Kipp Legacy High School student, said. "I’m a hardworking kid and show the world you can do anything you believe in as long as you try hard enough."
Banks works as hard in the classroom, as evidenced by his 4.0 grade point average.
A multi-sport athlete, he was one of 14 other scholars sponsored by the East 23rd St. PAC Neighborhood Association to attend the camp.
Students who attended the camp received an autographed Pacheco shirt and a free dinner following the camp, sponsored by Charlie D's.
Rachel Riley, president of the group, made the opportunity possible, along with her daughter, Sharlonda Riley.
"A lot of these camps, mini camps, don't come to our neighborhood, but through prayer, God sees all and hears all," Riley said. "Our children are excited and elated."
The neighborhood association focuses on addressing crime in their neighborhood, blighted properties, and finding resources and opportunities for kids in the inner city.
Riley said: "It's an opportunity to let the world know our children in our neighborhood are smart, they are intelligent, they are worthy."
Mere yards away from Pacheco, Banks knew the camp was about far more than him as an athlete.
"Shows that they care about youth, it shows that they don’t want the youth to grow up having to struggle, to grow up not knowing what to do," he said. "I wanna tell the kids to never give up."
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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
