Young athletes show some love for their community

Saturday was a good day to take pride in the north side of Wichita.

Early Saturday morning, about 75 kids from the Wichita Aztecs youth football program made quick work of piles of bulky waste in the Evergreen neighborhood.

Then, in the afternoon, various law enforcement agencies, city officials and car enthusiasts came together for a cookout and car show in the parking lot at the Evergreen Park Recreation Center.

“It’s an opportunity to come out and show that this is still a real vital, wonderful neighborhood,” said City Council member Janet Miller, who attended the car show. “This event is just about all of that – loving our community, showing how excited we are to live in this part of town, Evergreen and the North End.”

Kids clean up fast

A neighborhood cleanup scheduled to last four hours was completed in less than two in part because of overwhelming community support, said organizers of the Love Your Community Neighborhood Cleanup.

Four different teams from the Aztecs – second-graders, fourth-graders, sixth-graders and eighth-graders – walked the neighborhood with Waste Connections trucks, picking up bulky waste off curbs and tossing it into the trash compactors.

It wasn’t what you normally think of when you think cleanup – picking up plastic bottles, paper waste and various other litter.

“This was designed for people who can’t afford to get rid of their bulk waste,” said Angel Martinez, one of the lead organizers of the event. “A lot of times, things just build up in the backyard, and we know they can issue fines for those sort of things. Not only that, it’s an eyesore for the community.

“We just kind of wanted to take some of that burden off of our neighbors.”

The players hoisted old tube televisions, tables and tires into the trucks, then watched with satisfaction while the truck driver made them go “crunch” in the compactor.

As the kids walked down Waco from 27th to 25th Street, neighbors in the area took notice. A woman who lives on Waco gave Martinez $50 as a donation to the program.

The 34-year-old Martinez, who grew up in north Wichita, said cleanup efforts like the one Saturday are important in showing youths how to care for their neighborhood.

“Everybody says an accomplishment is leaving here,” he said. “When you leave, the problem is not getting solved and it’s just getting worse over time. ... Honestly, my hope is that by showing a little bit of love, because the gangs and the alcohol and the drugs are so crazy over here ... maybe somebody will come out here, hear the word of God and be inspired.”

Mentors for kids

Stormy Russell’s grandson plays for the Wichita Aztecs.

His son Darius, an Aztecs alumnus, is going to be the starting varsity quarterback for Wichita North High School this year.

Coaches in the Aztecs program say it gives young athletes who often come from single-parent situations positive male role models.

“A lot of times, they’re growing up and they don’t have a direction of which way to go in life – that’s what we’re here for, to assist them in that,” Russell said. “We’re not going to tell them where to go, but we’re going to help them with their thought process.”

Participation on Aztecs football teams is contingent upon the athlete getting good grades in school – “if they don’t have the grades, they can’t play here with us,” Martinez said.

Helping with events such as the neighborhood cleanup takes that a step further, Martinez said.

“It’s basically about giving back,” he said. “We want the kids to know that there’s more out there than what they see; there’s more out there than what their little minds can perceive.

“We just want to show them while you’re out there chasing your dreams, it’s also good to stop and give back to your neighbors.”

Dancing police

Partially to celebrate a successful cleanup Saturday morning, Martinez helped to organize the Love Your Community car show.

Various painted low-riders graced the parking lot, and Cargill donated enough burgers and hotdogs to feed 1,000, according to Martinez.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter, as well as various deputies from the sheriff’s office and a contingent of Wichita police officers, was in attendance.

And, as has become standard at these sorts of events in Wichita, there were dancing cops.

Miller told a reporter she had two new favorite police officers: Brent Johnson and Andrew Tapia – who danced to the “Cha Cha Slide” alongside her.

“We had to get some dancing in earlier,” Miller said. “It made us sweat and turn red, but it was a good time.”

The weather was mild for mid-August, topping out in the low 80s.

Police officers talked with members of the community – including Emiliano Hernandez, who was wearing a T-shirt celebrating his nephew Nico’s boxing victories in the Rio Olympics. The officers high-fived kids and, of course, danced alongside them as well.

Clothing and nonperishable food items were also given to families in need.

“It’s crazy times right now, with all the turmoil going on,” Martinez said. “It’s really important that we as adults show our kids how to love. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the hate ... in all the anger.

“It’s really about showing the love.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Young athletes show some love for their community."