The Fayetteville Observer Interviews the Co-Founders of CREEK 4 KIDS.

On Wednesday , July 20, 2016, the local newspaper did an article on Creek 4 Kids Inc. They interviewed the Rico Mitchell and Lawrence Monroe, the co-founders of the outreach group about what they are trying to accomplish. Mitchell, a JV boys basketball coach and Varsity soccer coach at Cape Fear High School, and Monroe, a veteran and Information Systems Security Analyst in the healthcare industry, have continued to push there message about investing into the community, giving back, and the importance of education. Check out the article below.

Fayetteville Observer   

By Steve DeVane Staff writer       Jul 19, 2016

Staff photo by Andrew Craft

A former paratrooper and a Fayetteville State University Health and Physical Education graduate have started an organization aimed at helping youth in east Fayetteville. Lawrence Monroe (left) and Rico Mitchell (right), who have been friends since they attended Cape Fear High School together, formed Creek 4 Kids, an outreach group for the Deep Creek Road community and the surrounding area. They hope to raise money for a recreation center and start a mentoring program. Monroe, who works at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, served in the Army for six years, including time in Fort Bragg's 18th Airborne Corps and two deployments to Iraq. Mitchell graduated from FSU in 2014 and is the physical education teacher at Ben Martin Elementary School and the junior varsity basketball coach at Cape Fear.

"What the military taught me and what college taught him, we want to teach to everybody else," Monroe said.
The organization uses sports and other ways to build character in young people. The effort started in 2013 with a back-to-school basketball tournament, which has become an annual event.

"We wanted to guide our kids in the right direction," Mitchell said.

This year's tournament is scheduled for Sept. 3 at Cape Fear High School and will include a basketball skills camp. Mitchell and Monroe also plan to hold other activities, such as camps that focus on physical fitness, in an effort to get other people involved and unite the community.

"We always felt this side of town is disconnected," Monroe said. "We're really trying to promote unity.

"One goal is to raise money to build a recreation center at Mable C. Smith Park, which is on Shadbush Lane, just off Deep Creek Road.

A recreation center at the park is not under consideration by the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation Department, according to Nathan Walls, a city spokesman. It is not in the department's master plan, but the 10-year-old plan is about to be updated, he said.

"If this comes up as a recommendation, then we will consider it," Walls said in an email.

The closest recreation center to the park is the J.S. Spivey Recreation Center, which is on the other side of the Cape Fear River.

Mitchell and Monroe said they would like to use a center at Mable C. Smith Park to teach young people basic computer skills. They also want young people to know how to look for a job and create a resume. The youth need to understand taxes and know about mortgages and equity, Mitchell said.

"The most important thing is education," Monroe said. "Not just book smarts, but common sense."

The men are hoping teachers, nurses, doctors, soldiers and others in the Deep Creek Road area will get involved with their organization.

"We need all hands on deck," Monroe said.

"Let's get a one mind, one movement going," Mitchell added.

They also want parents to play an active role.

"We can't do anything for the kids without the parents," Monroe said.

They hope the effort spreads to other areas east of the river.

"We have a growing population," Mitchell said.