Welborn Elementary students Juliano (left), Ameer (center) and Derrica (right) show off their new Sporting kits along with third grade teacher Nina Breihan (back center) and counselor Bobbi Henderson (back left)
Sporting Kansas City teamed up with Children's Mercy Kansas City to deliver the team's brand new primary jersey to students at 30 local elementary and middle schools on Friday to celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day with a special K.I.T.S. (Kindness In The Schools) initiative.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (15): Banneker, Compass, Ellis, Ervin, Faxon, George Washington Carver, Norfleet, Oak Grove, Prairie Point, St. Peter’s, Troost, Welborn, West Englewood, West Park, Whittier
MIDDLE SCHOOLS (15): Argentine, Arrowhead, Aubry Bend, Carl B. Bruce, Central, Congress, Eisenhower, Frontier Trail, Gloria Willis, Harmony, Lakewood, Leawood, Overland Trail, Oxford, Pleasant Ridge
Each school surprised three students with jerseys customized with “Kindness” above the number 23 on the back of the kits as a special thank you for their kind character as part of the RED CARD anti-bullying campaign.
Partners since 2016, Sporting Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Kansas City launched the RED CARD campaign in 2018 to unite local communities to take a stance against one of the most significant social issues impacting children nationwide. The innovative campaign is designed to build awareness and empower youth and adults so they can help prevent and intervene in bullying.
Inspiring individuals to “call it when you see it,” the RED CARD programming uses soccer’s red card as a figurative visual tool to highlight instances of bullying in schools and other public settings while also encouraging positive behavior.
Through school assemblies and community-wide messaging, the RED CARD campaign aims to reach children, parents, teachers and coaches who have daily opportunities to create supportive environments and stop bullying in its tracks. A key component of the initiative is helping the community understand what bullying is, how to identify it and what to do about it.
Sporting has supported the RED CARD campaign through social media promotion, video segments on match broadcasts, integrations at youth soccer clinics and in-stadium activations at Children’s Mercy Park. For more information and to utilize online resources, visit RedCardKC.com.
