By Chris Layne
TEAM KRL, a Huntington-based nonprofit organization that helps mentor youth from low-to-moderate income environments, was founded in 2010 by Huntington natives and childhood friends Shannon King, Duane Rankin and Chris Layne. Shortly after founding TEAM KRL, the group created the Be Strong, Be Positive, Be Ready, Believe—or B4—program to help the tri-state’s youth and give back to the community that raised them.
King, Rankin and Layne have worked very hard both personally and professionally, each gaining success in their own right, and they want to instill that same drive and work ethic in the youth they serve. TEAM KRL’s vision is to uplift the youth of the tri-state area by helping them realize their maximum potential to achieve their goals and ambitions in a positive way. The organization does this by furthering its mission to inspire and educate through various channels, including providing innovative speakers and practical applications and helping students understand the importance of setting goals, having aspirations and being able to achieve them through hard work and unwavering dedication.
“TEAM KRL’s B4 youth program is outstanding,” says Marcia Harris, a representative of YOUnique Life Skills and Time Out for Me, Inc. “Investing in our future is a privilege and a great opportunity. TEAM KRL inspires the youth as they lead with passion, and they offer great resources and support illustrating how to turn your dream into a reality.”
This year will mark the group’s 10th Annual B4 youth program, which will be held at Marshall University May 31-June 1. The location allows students the opportunity to be exposed to a college campus and all of the facilities it has to offer. Since 2010, the program has grown from 14 students at its inaugural event to more than 80 regular attendees and has hosted as many as 100 students, providing them with access and exposure to leaders in the Huntington community, including political figures, business owners, attorneys, sports figures, airline pilots and physicians.
“B4 is an excellent program for teenage youth combining character strengthening with an informative approach from individuals from the streets of Huntington who have excelled in their fields of practice and become great contributors and representatives of this society,” says Rev. Donte’ Jackson, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Huntington.
Along with meeting Huntington’s leaders, while on campus students are able to utilize Marshall’s state-of-the art recreation center, where they have an opportunity to participate in several teambuilding and leadership activities. Participants are rewarded for showing outstanding leadership abilities while working well as a team. The program promotes the importance of understanding the value of being a good team player while exhibiting outstanding leadership qualities and skills.
Photo by TEAM KRL.
“The B4 program is the most impressive grassroots youth development program I have been associated with during my years at Marshall University,” says Dr. Maurice Cooley, associate vice president for intercultural affairs at Marshall. “Enormous credit must be extended to the hard work and commitment of TEAM KRL, which does what others only speak of doing. Our participating youth will surely prosper in life directly as a result of these experiences, and this is a great thing.”
Registration for the 10th Annual B4 youth program will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 31 in Smith Hall. This free event is open to students in grades six through 11 and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you would like to make a contribution or learn more about TEAM KRL and the B4 program, send an email to teamkrl2010@gmail.com.
About the Author
Chris Layne is senior vice president and a commercial banker with First Citizens Bank in Richmond, VA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of La Verne and an MBA from Averett University, and he is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Layne currently serves as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He routinely volunteers with TEAM KRL, a nonprofit organization he co-founded in his hometown of Huntington, WV, and serves on the board of directors for the Swift Creek YMCA and the Metropolitan Business League.
