A group of juvenile offenders in San Quentin has raised almost $8,000 to help youths outside the prison.
The prison’s Kid CAT organization raised $7,989.24 in a food sale to aid Special Olympics and the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation.
I think it’s a great partnership for Kid CAT and the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation,” said Ernest Pulliam, a former correctional officer, supporter of T.K.Y. Foundation and Kid CAT volunteer.
“The foundation will use the money for after-school programs for youths in Richmond by teaching computer literacy as well as providing mentorship.”
Landrin Kelly started the foundation after his son, Terrance Kelly, was murdered in 2004. Terrance “T.K.” Kelly was born April 23, 1986, in Oakland and was raised in Richmond. He graduated in June 2004 from De La Salle, where “he never lost a football game and accepted a scholarship to the University of Oregon.”
His family says he was not involved in drugs or gangs, but he was shot and killed in Richmond just two days before departing to school, the Richmond Standard reported.
“Every anniversary of his death, his birthday, Christmas, all the holidays… I start getting depressed, start feelin’ bad, not wanna get up, not wanna do anything…It be tough sometimes,” said Landrin Kelly.
His wife, Mary, commented, “I have to try everything to motivate him, and with the foundation, that’s the one thing that motivates him … I tell him, ‘Terrance wants you to do this.’ We have to go out there. We have to help these kids.’ There’s one thing Terrance said to him years ago. He started off coaching Terrance and Terrance used today, ‘Dad, a lotta these kids don’t have a father, so you’re like their father figure.’”
“A lot of kids look up to him; they like what we’re doing. We’re presenting them with opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have through helping them further with their education. We also take them on a lot of different excursions – we take them out of their normal surroundings – and we show them the good, the bad and the ugly.
We take them to the prisons. We take them to the coroner’s office – we actually take them and show them where Terrance’s resting place is,” said Mrs. Kelly.
“The program is definitely not a ‘scared-straight’ program, but we want to show them life is basically all about consequences. So we are constantly giving them options other than street life.” Special Olympics involves children and adults with intellectual disabilities in a variety of athletic competitions.
