About Kids Across America
Our Mission
To Build Christian Leaders by Encouraging, Equipping, and Empowering Urban Youth and Their Mentors Through Camping and Education
Our Vision
Transforming Urban Youth to Impact their Communities for Christ
Our Story
Kids Across America is a Christian sports camp committed to transforming urban America with the Gospel message. We do so using sports and urban arts as a platform to share the Gospel with youth and their leaders from all across the country.
In 1978, Kanakuk Kamps started giving the last week of camp in the summer to serve the camping needs of urban youth. The I’m Third Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was birthed out of this need and eventually the demand for a camp dedicated to serving urban youth and adult leaders became so great that the first Kids Across America Camp was built.
It was completed and opened in 1991, and in 1995, KAA 2 was opened adjacent to KAA 1. The number of young people and urban leaders served has grown every year. This demand led to the opening of a leadership training camp, called Higher Ground in 1998 and a fourth camp, KAA 3, in the summer of 2001. In September of 2000, the I’m Third Foundation was renamed Kids Across America (KAA). Each summer 20 campers receive a special “I’M THIRD” award.
As the numbers of young people and leaders served through the camps has grown, KAA has also grown in the scope of support services provided throughout the year.
Our Core Values
Christ Centered: We aspire to reflect the love of Christ and lift him up in all we do.
Education and Training: We actively engage people in life-changing learning experiences that provide growth and enrichment.
Stewardship: We will honor God with all our resources and celebrate those who provide them.
Integrity: We commit to open communication, honesty, and personal and organizational accountability.
Culturally Relevant: We will engage our communities in ways that are compelling and relevant to them.
Unity: We embrace cultural differences, build bridges, resolve conflict peaceably, and seek to be an example of unified diversity.
Summer Staff
Do you want to take your love for sports and the arts and use it as a platform to share the love of Christ?
Are you willing to be used by God to minister to urban youth?
Are you looking for more than a job, but rather “A Life Changing Experience”?
Do you want to do something that will have eternal rewards?
If your answer to any of these questions is YES, then YOU may be who we are looking for! We hire more than 600 godly college students and athletes every summer to serve as coaches, teachers, mentors and more to over 6,500 campers from across America.
It’s more than just a summer job.