Xtreme Giveback makes Family Fun Day even bigger and better this year at MLK Park

by Raymond Whitley

Xtreme Giveback is a non-profit that reaches out to children, youth, families and community needs through educational, health and family events. Our goals are to build strong communities and families.

What is important is family, friends and giving back to your community and finding meaning in life. And that’s exactly what it was on Saturday, Aug. 12, at our Second Annual Family Fun Day event held this year at MLK (Martin Luther King) Park and Swimming Pool.

With the help of three lovely, strong mothers – Belinda Rollins, Jasmine Whitley and Karche Lindsey – and a team of young brothers – Antonio Jones, Robert Harrison, Wade King-Gallman, Cleashaun Harold Hill, Damien Posey, Ayinde Bell Stampp, Brandon House, Kareem Baker and myself – we were able to give out more than 1,000 backpacks and give kids a day of family fun and a memorable weekend before going back to school.

Our Family Fun Day last year on Aug. 13 was a smaller event, our very first event that was local – held at Shoreview – for our kids in AIMCO residences. But so many people came, we had to do it again in a larger location.

We feel that kids nowadays have very much to deal with that causes other things they shouldn’t get into. So our team came up with a bunch of ideas to create some type of fun event where the kids can start enjoying their summer time off. That’s why we created Family Fun Day.

This second annual event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of other organizations like United Playaz, City Eats, T.U.R.F, CleasKitchen and local musicians like TJG, Gval and Lil Yee.

Our goal as a community is to build – starting with our families – with more events that can get the communities together.

Community activist Raymond Whitley can be reached at [email protected].