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TOPEKA (KSNT) – It’s back-to-school time in northeast Kansas, and a former pro basketball player is helping students get ready.
Topeka native Kyle Weems and the Community Unite Foundation held the Dale Cushinberry Community Kickoff on Saturday morning at Eisenhower Middle School in Topeka.
The event provided students with backpacks, supplies and haircuts to prepare for the new school year.
“We just wanted to be able to jumpstart these kids in the right direction. We wanted to get them excited with a new backpack, fresh haircut, and supplies they need,” Weems told 27 Sports. “Take a little bit of ease and stress off of the parents.”
Basketball has taken Weems around the world, but he said its the support he received in Topeka that helped open those doors.
“I went to school here so it’s a special place. My mom still owns a house right up the block so this is home,” Weems said. “To be able to give back on behalf of our foundation is a dream come true.”
The foundation partnered with many organizations to make the event possible, such as SparkWheel.
Highland Park boys’ basketball coach Nate Wallace, who’s the program director for SparkWheel, says events like this make a real difference.
“It’s beautiful and it’s love,” Wallace said. “We love our community, we love our people, and it’s one of those things when we’re in the position to do so, why not help out and lend a hand.”
The event is named after Dale Cushinberry, a Topeka native and Emporia State Hall of Famer. He was a longtime principal at Highland Park.
For Weems, it’s a chance to honor someone who impacted his life.
“Everything that he’s done for our community, we wanted to give him his flowers,” Weems said. “We wanted to show him appreciation for everything he’s done, not only for Highland Park High School but in the community.”
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