Walking into the Inez Community Center, there is a flurry of activity.  Upstairs, in the room that houses S.P.A.R.K. CAP’s afterschool program for children between the ages of six and thirteen, several young boys sit around a table eating a snack of salad, biscuits, and sausage gravy.  It’s a rare moment of quiet in the space that resembles an elementary classroom. 

Two of those boys, Kyle (13) and Lucas (12), sit around the table enjoying time with their friends and the satisfaction of a full stomach.  Kyle, in the seventh grade, sees his future as a football star, first playing college ball at the University of Kentucky and later as a professional with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  His favorite subject is social studies.    Lucas, who enjoys his sixth grade science class at school, has hopes of becoming a professional basketball player, and like his older brother, getting his start as a Kentucky Wildcat. 
Yet, the brothers are not strangers to difficult times.  Just weeks ago, when their mother was unable to pay the electric bill, they were forced to rely on the generosity of others, staying in a hotel for the weekend until power could be restored to the run-down home they share with their mother and two younger brothers.  Their mother works long hours at the grocery store in Inez to provide for her four boys, but finds that her hourly wage simply doesn’t keep the refrigerator stocked or the electricity connected.  
And Kyle carries a burden far beyond his years: the responsibility of supervising and caring for his three younger brothers while his mother is at work.  Unable to shirk his responsibilities but wanting so badly to participate in his first day of CAP Kids summer camp, Kyle arrived with his brothers in tow, including then four year-old Jeff.  Kyle admits that S.P.A.R.K. is a nice break from taking care of his younger siblings, allowing him the freedom to be the child that he still is. 
According to a teacher at S.P.A.R.K., “Kyle has a lot of responsibilities; he takes care of his younger brothers.  He’s constantly correcting his brothers and watching out for them.”

Kyle, wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, towers over the younger Lucas as they look through photo albums  depicting the activities and fieldtrips they’ve experienced with CAP.  Kyle points to a picture with a group of children creating paper mache balloons.  He says the best part of summer camp is “going on trips and making stuff.”  As for the after school program, S.P.A.R.K., both boys agree that “making things” and “the gym” are the highlights of the afternoon.  Later, they both confess that the snacks are also a high point of their day.  Before heading home following an afternoon of homework time, a walk on the trail outside the community center, and guided instruction, the boys are treated to fruit and the option of taking an additional snack home with them.  According to those that know the family, it’s unlikely that dinner is waiting when they arrive home, nor is a formal dinner part of the family’s typical routine.  S.P.A.R.K. provides nutrition that many of the children do not find in their own pantries.   
The main goals of CAP Kids and S.P.A.R.K.  are to introduce participants to activities and concepts with which they are unfamiliar.  During CAP Kids, a summer camp for school aged children up to thirteen years old, the three elder brothers have been exposed to a variety of activities, all focused around a specific theme ranging from math to the arts.  CAP Kids  has provided the boys an opportunity to travel outside of their community and visit places far beyond their reach like Washington, D.C. and the Cincinnati Zoo.  These field trips not only provide educational instruction but also a chance to create memories that will last a lifetime.
The director of CAP’s Family and Children’s Programs in Martin County says that she notices higher grades and more positive attitudes from the children that attend S.P.A.R.K. and CAP Kids.  Most of the 21 children participating in CAP’s programs in Inez return summer after summer, school year after school year, growing both in size and spirit.  The smiles on the faces of Lucas and Kyle speak volumes.  They have found a home away from home in CAP’s programs and a time and place to have the burden of a tough childhood lifted.