By Sonia Henry- Robinson, WG Sports Columnist
Before he was an NFL player, Kamren Kinchens was a young boy growing up in Miami with big dreams. He got his start playing football at the Northwest Boys Club before becoming a standout at Miami Northwestern Senior High School and later starring at the University of Miami. Today, Kinchens is living his dream as a free safety for the Los Angeles Rams, but he has never forgotten the community that helped him get there.
This week, Kinchens returned home with one purpose to give back.
As part of his annual community outreach, he first treated a large group of students to a shopping event at Dick’s sporting goods at Dadeland mall. Then for his second event he selected five special local children to a back-to-school shopping spree at a Miami mall, giving them the opportunity to pick out new shoes, clothing, backpacks and other school essentials for the upcoming school year. For many of these children, it was an experience they had never had before.
The children, who are being lovingly raised by their older siblings, have faced challenges beyond their years. Yet throughout the day, their gratitude, excitement, and bright spirits filled the store with smiles and hope.
“They’re amazing kids, and they’re so grateful,” Kinchens said.
The children were told they could choose whatever they needed, and as their shopping carts filled, so did their confidence. Every new pair of shoes and every outfit represented more than just school supplies it represented hope, dignity, and the feeling that someone believed in them.
“You can feel the joy,” Kinchens said. “They don’t even have to smile, but you can feel it.”
For Kinchens, the shopping trip was about more than buying clothes. It was about using his platform to remind others of the importance of giving back and appreciating life’s blessings.
“Sometimes we have to take a moment and realize how much we’ve been given that we really don’t deserve,” he said. “To be able to share that and see the joy it brings to other people’s faces—I want to do that more. I need that reminder, and our kids need that reminder.”
Now entering the next chapter of his NFL career, Kinchens says community service will always be part of his purpose. His vision is to make the event even bigger each year so that more children and families can experience the same kindness.
“Every year, I want it to continue to get bigger,” he said.
For the children, it was a day of new beginnings. For Kamren Kinchens, it was another reminder that the greatest victories don’t always happen under stadium lights they happen whenyou use your success to lift someone else up.