High school football may be over for the year, and students are still home over the winter break, but Daphne High School's head coach and athletic director is keeping himself busy by giving back.

Kenny King created Kenny Kings Charities, or KKC, in 2003 to help the youth in his community avoid "the struggles I encountered at their age." The nonprofit offers a social enhancement series, athletic opportunities (football, cheerleading and track), a health and nutrition initiative, Tackling Reading program, ACT prep courses and other program and scholarships for students in grades 1-12 in Baldwin and Maricopa counties.

This year, KKC hosted their 12th Christmas Shop-A-Thon in partnership with Daphne's Target. The KKC board and sponsors selected 25 elementary/middle school children in the Daphne community to each receive a free Christmas shopping spree on Friday, Dec. 23.

They sang Christmas carols with Tracie Brown (Ruff Wilson Organization director) and were treated to a special guest appearance by 2LT Hamilton Baker, fresh from his West Point graduation, King said. Each participant was then paired with their favorite Daphne Trojans football player as their own personal shopping assistant to make their Christmas dreams a reality.

"It is a special blessing to be able to once again do the Lord's work and spread the spirit of Christmas with the youth in my community," King said. "It truly doesn't feel like Christmas until this event, and it would not be possible without the support of the Daphne Target and our event sponsors. It also means a lot to me and the Daphne community to have current and past Trojan football players come out and pay it forward. And I know one day that they will be the ones to continue this Christmas tradition.

Sponsors were What's Cluckin, AOSM, the Sullivan family, Bombay Daphne, the Richmond family, the McCain family, the Gardner family, the Battle family, Kenny King Charities and Target Inc. King gave a special thank you to Ruff Wilson Youth Organization Director Tracie Brown, Principal Dana Bottoms and Counselor Alicia Ray, W. J. Carroll Intermediate School, Mrs. Pettibone, Mr. Hamilton Baker, the Daphne High School football team and the Daphne Feeder Pattern.