By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A hometown NFL athlete is hoping to help bring awareness to a cause close to his heart.
Elijah Lee signed this past offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs and when Mosaic Life Care asked him to be this year’s player sponsor for Training Camp he had one stipulation, the Bartlett Center had to be involved.
Lee grew up in St. Joseph around the playgrounds of the Bartlett Center. He says the partnership with Mosaic to raise awareness for the center is big.
"Because it takes a unity, as opposed to just saying one I could come back and just talk about the Bartlett Center, but having an organization like Mosaic and an organization like the Chiefs that are willing to help hand in hand, that's big," Lee tells reporters. "Because it shines light on bigger situations, on the situation."
Lee says being from midtown, or as he calls it the east side of St. Joe, he knows how hard it is to spread awareness of the center.
Lee says his biggest goal with the children at the Bartlett Center is to help them know there are better days ahead.
"Have big dreams and reach for those goals don't let anyone tell you no, because for me it was like, coming from St. Joe, every day you could talk about going to the NFL or going to go do this, but now that I made it a reality and I used to tell like my friends in middle school and elementary, I'm going to make it one day," Lee says. "And the funniest thing I used to say is you're going to be eating popcorn while I'm on the TV."
And Lee says that joke continues today, asking his friends how the popcorn tastes.
Executive Director of the Bartlett Center LaTonya Williams says she's truly grateful that Lee thought about the center, and was in disbelief when she got the call.
"After I was called and they mentioned that he was only interested in being a spokesperson if it involved us at the Bartlett Center, I was like is this a joke," Williams laughs. "I was completely blown over."
Williams said even her staff didn't believe her when she told them about the call and email about the partnership. Williams said it all became real when Mosaic came seeking a tour of the center.
Lee holds the Bartlett Center close to his heart because he grew up in midtown St. Joseph playing on the very playgrounds and in the gym of the Bartlett Center.