Muffler shop bought by Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is becoming STEM Lab for teens
Muffler shop bought by Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is becoming STEM Lab for teens
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After he received a contract extension in August that could pay him more than $57 million, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce bought an old muffler shop.
That may seem like a strange investment, but Kelce wasn’t looking for future earnings from the shop. Instead, he is investing in children in Kansas City.
That muffler shop will be turned into a lab that will teach kids at Operation Breakthrough skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It will be called the Ignition Lab.
Groundbreaking on the facility took place Monday.
“The new Ignition Lab is the natural next step for students, ages 14 to 18 who have aged out of Operation Breakthrough’s Maker City program with basic skills in coding, circuitry, culinary arts, construction and design, digital media, robotics, visual art and more,” Operation Breakthrough wrote on its website. “It’s also a powerful springboard for teens who live in economically depressed, often violent neighborhoods.”
Kelce’s 87 & Running Foundation has been deeply invested in helping Operation Breakthrough since the charity was founded in 2015.
A native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Kelce said on the Operation Breakthrough website that he’s well aware that he had better opportunities growing up than others.
“Kids I danced and ate pizza with at OB a few years ago are now teenagers navigating a world that doesn’t always have their back,” Kelce said on the site..
“The vision is to give them a safe haven where they can continue to find role models, discover interests and develop skills once they age out of OB’s after-school program. I’m so excited to be purchasing a building adjacent to OB’s MakerCity that will be the future home of ‘The Ignition Lab, powered by 87 & Running.’ Together with OB’s staff and supporters, we’ll create a co-working space where teens will have the support, resources and opportunity to explore careers in STEM, launch their own entrepreneurial ventures and gain real-world experience.”
Check out the photos and video of the groundbreaking.
