Kids in Motion program in Hannibal is tradition for Jones family

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Calvin Jones, a fifth-grader at Eugene Field Elementary, plans to open a sports shop one day.

Becoming a business owner became a dream of Calvin’s last June when he was introduced to various businesses owners in the Hannibal community through the Kids in Motion program at Douglass Community Services.

KIM is a two-week program in June for students entering grades 5 and 6 that teaches kids the value of hard work and community connection through paid service projects. Calvin was one of 15 students chosen for the program based on a short essay about why he wanted to participate in the program.

“Everyone was so proud of me, and I still can’t believe I was one of the 15 chosen out of 50 students,” Calvin said in a press release with a grin that lit his face.

Being chosen for KIM was the first of many accomplishments for Calvin throughout the duration of the program.

Throughout the two weeks of KIM, Calvin and others unloaded a truck with food pantry items for Douglass. They spent a day working with the Hannibal Board of Public Works and learning about the water and sewer plant, harvested vegetables at Hannibal’s Victory Over Hunger Gardens and other work activities. They also visited with officers at the Hannibal Police Department and firefighters at the Hannibal Fire Department and played with cats and dogs at the Northeast Missouri Humane Society.

Calvin was wowed when a computer expert visited them and discussed working with the FBI.

“That seemed really cool,” Calvin said, raising his eyebrows. “Because that had to have been a real situation.”

Calvin’s interest piqued in business after meeting and speaking with various Hannibal business owners. Calvin, a football and basketball player for Hannibal Youth Association, was further impacted when Beau Viehmann, owner of Gracie Barra in Hannibal, spoke to the group about opening the Jui-Jitsu school. Viehmann’s story connected Calvin’s love of sports to a new interest in owning a business of his own selling sports items. Calvin said this life goal has him excited about his future.

KIM is a family tradition for the Jones family. Calvin’s older brother Ace, who will turn 13 years old in January, also attended the program and encouraged Calvin to apply. Before that, their mother Angelicia Jones was also a KIM kid.

Angelicia was around 12 years old when she received her first paycheck from Kids in Motion. She still remembers how earning that money felt.

“I was so excited to have my own source of income. I remember thinking, ‘That check is going to be mine, and I can spend it how I want to spend it,’” she recalled with a laugh.

Her laugh turned to a satisfied smile when she talked about learning the value of work ethic through the program.

“They made working fun and interesting, also learning at an early age responsibility that you weren’t taking on yet. You have to get up early, get ready, show up on time and be productive — and then you get what’s yours,” she said.

Angelicia remembered her group cleaning up trash, picking weeds and planting flowers around town, teaching her pride in her work and in her community.

“Those aren’t always fun jobs, but when were done, we were proud that we did it. We made those areas look so much better,” she said. “It also taught us about littering and how it made the community look bad.”

Angelicia appreciates not only the work experience Ace and Calvin gained through KIM but the opportunities to visit different professionals and workplaces. She believes they gained a deeper understanding of community roles through KIM as well.

“They met police officers and firefighters and listened to their stories. They learned police officers aren’t just riding around in cars” she said. “Visiting the colleges has definitely made them think along the lines of the future.”

Calvin agrees that the experience with KIM was great. He also met friends from other Hannibal schools he will soon attend school with at Hannibal Middle School. He also said it wasn’t all work and learning. One of his favorite days was when he went fishing.

And, just like his mom, Calvin appreciated earning his first paycheck that came through the work of his own hands. He celebrated the accomplishment with a chicken hibachi dinner.

“When I get older, I’m going to feel good because I will know what it feels like to accomplish things,” Calvin said. “Because I accomplished this.”