NFL Walter Payton Award Nominee Is Former Angel Tree Child Kenny Clark

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Former Angel Tree Kid and Green Bay Packers' Defensive Tackle Kenny Clark Nominated for Walter Payton Award, Hopes to Donate Up to $50K to Angel Tree if Awarded

Article updated: 12/10/2018

Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark has been nominated for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. Established in 1970, the award is presented each year in honor of the NFL player’s volunteer and charity work, in addition to his excellence on the football field. In addition to the recognition $50,000 is given to each athlete to donate to the charity of their choice.

Should Kenny win, he plans to donate the money to Angel Tree Sports Clinic™,  a program that gives children with incarcerated parents an unforgettable day of coaching, encouragement, and hope in Christ.

WHAT IS ANGEL TREE SPORTS CLINIC?

Across the country, Prison Fellowship®'s Angel Tree Sports Clinic hosts events where children of prisoners and other at-risk youth gain sports skills and learn about God's love. Through lessons, drills and fun competition, kids who might not otherwise have a chance to attend a day camp are treated like champions. It's a unique opportunity for youth of all ages and abilities to learn from seasoned college players as well as current and former professional athletes.

In 2005, Prison Fellowship hosted the first Angel Tree® football clinic at Stanford University. Prison Fellowship established a partnership with the NFL Alumni Association in 2014 and continued expanding the Angel Tree Sports Clinic program across the country. Since then, Angel Tree has held events for thousands of children of prisoners.

At an Angel Tree Sports Clinic, kids don't just build skills—they learn valuable lessons about hard work, perseverance, and overcoming difficult circumstances from caring coaches and mentors who share their own stories of trials and triumphs. Before the day ends, each child has a chance to hear inspirational, motivating messages and gain hope for the future.

"My dad went to prison when I was nine years old. Going through that at a young age, a lot of weight was put on my shoulders."
Kenny Clark

HOW KENNY CLARK PARTNERS WITH ANGEL TREE SPORTS CLINIC

For most of Kenny Clark's childhood, his father was incarcerated. Today, Kenny wants to shine a light of hope for children in similar situations, easing their burdens with the kind of encouragement he received from Angel Tree volunteers who reached out to his family at Christmas.

In July 2018, Kenny partnered with Angel Tree Sports Clinic to host an event in his hometown of Rialto, California. Some 260 children arrived early to the field on the morning of the clinic, thrilled to learn from a hometown hero and other athletes with professional and college experience. The kids spent a fun, encouraging day honing their football skills through a rotation of drills. The clinic also offered valuable lessons in perseverance and teamwork that the kids can carry throughout their lives, helping them realize no matter what obstacles they face, they can be champions.

Angel Tree Sports Clinic also has partnered with other athletes like Sherman Williams and Tyrone Poole to uplift children with a parent behind bars.

Prison Fellowship is grateful to Kenny for being a leader in his community and an inspiring role model for children with a parent in prison.

The winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award will be announced prior to the 2019 Super Bowl in February.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD'S LIFE TODAY

Like Kenny Clark, you can make a difference in a child's life today through Angel Tree. For 2.7 million children in the U.S., having a mom or dad in prison means facing abandonment, loneliness, and shame. These children face a higher risk to follow their parents down the same destructive road to incarceration.

Angel Tree, a program of Prison Fellowship reaches out with the love of Christ to the children of prisoners and their families. This unique program gives you an opportunity to share God's love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.

BE A PART OF THE STORY TODAY!