Kansas City-area teacher walks 16 miles for third night in a row to collect coats for children in need
By Chloe Godding
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KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — A Kansas City-area teacher is spending hours on his feet to raise awareness for a cause close to his heart.
By day, JC Van Deventer makes a difference in his classroom in Kansas City, Kansas. By night, his mission doesn’t change, but his method does.
Van Deventer has spent the past two nights walking from his home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, to his school in KCK to raise awareness and money for children in need. The trek is more than 16 miles, and he does it in the cold and rain. He’ll do it again Thursday night.
“There are thousands of kids living below the poverty line in the KC metro. Over 8,000 as of 2023,” Van Deventer said. “Kids without coats, hats, gloves, in many cases without proper shoes. How can they learn if they can’t even stay warm in a Kansas City winter?”
Van Deventer did the same all-night walks last year, but this year, he has a much grander goal: $20,000.
“If I make it to a certain number this week, we’ll hopefully keep it going into Christmas,” he said.
Van Deventer is raising money through Avenue of Life, a local nonprofit that focuses on students who are homeless. Monetary donations can be made on Avenue of Life’s website.
To drop off donations of new coats, socks, shoes, pajamas and hygiene items, call Avenue of Life at 816-787-6101.
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