https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2020/07/27/lions-rb-coach-kyle-caskey-launches-the-caskey-family-foundation/

Erik Schlitt July 27, 2020 4:17 pm ET

Today, Detroit Lions running back coach Kyle Caskey and his wife Kayla introduced the Caskey Family Foundation, a charity based organization focuses on helping those less privileged in the Detroit area.

“We are extremely excited to get started on what we hope and pray will be a very successful mission in the Detroit area to seek change and help people have equal opportunities to live a successful life,” Caskey said in a press release posted by the Lions. “Kayla and I have often talked about starting a foundation to benefit our local community and decided that now is the time to help create change in the city of Detroit and the surrounding areas.

“Especially in light of the current social climate in our country and around the world, we have decided to stop being passive and start working to make a difference. We know that a positive impact, no matter how big or small, can go a long way. Our country and the world needs more positive influences and we are here to help initiate the change that can save lives.”

The mission of their organization is “to create positive change, bring hope and empower individuals in the local community”, and their first major initiative is called: Surfaces for Success.

The goal of Surfaces for Success is to “create systemic change within the Detroit Public School system by funding 100 Microsoft Surfaces for students at the Detroit Lions Academy that would not have been able to use this technology in the past”.

If you wish to join the Caskey Family Foundation’s initiative you can participate in several ways. You can donate through their website. Join an online auction that will be held Monday, August 3, through Friday, August 7, 2020. And the Caskey’s will be joining our good friends over at Pride of Detroit for a Virtual Charity Karaoke Night this Saturday hosted by managing editor Jeremy Reisman.

Congrats to the Caskey’s on the opening of their foundation and we at Lions Wire wish them a ton of success in their new endeavor!

 https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/impact-of-the-caskey-family-foundation-in-detroit

https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/impact-of-the-caskey-family-foundation-in-detroit?jwsource=cl

Read more about the Caskey Family Foundation and the impact running backs coach Kyle Caskey wants to have on Detroit children's educational experience.VITO CHIRCO

The coronavirus pandemic and social unrest have rocked the Earth in 2020.

Everyone's day-to-day life and way of being have seemingly been altered in some fashion -- whether in an economic, physical or social sense or worst-case scenario, in all three facets.

The world subsequently needs positive difference makers now more than ever before. 

Enter Detroit Lions running backs coach Kyle Caskey and his wife Kayla, the co-founders of the Caskey Family Foundation. According to the foundation's website, the nonprofit aims "to create positive change, bring hope and empower individuals in the local community."

Kyle, who got his NFL coaching start with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, and Kayla, the executive director of the foundation, were heavily influenced by ex-Bengals head man Marvin Lewis' involvement in the community. 

Lewis founded the Marvin Lewis Community Fund in 2003 to empower youth education throughout Greater Cincinnati, and it opened up the Caskey duo's eyes to the great effect they could also have on the area. 

It led to Kyle and Kayla spearheading various events for CancerFree KIDS, a nonprofit based in Ohio aimed at eradicating cancer as a life-threatening disease in children by funding promising research that might otherwise go unfunded.

Fast-forward to today, and once again, the Caskey family has it eyes on positively impacting the lives of children -- one of the groups of individuals most direly affected by the pandemic.

The severity of the virus led to a multiple months stay-at-home order across the country that effectively replaced inside-the-classroom education with virtual learning.

Gone were in-person interactions with classmates and teachers, and in were Zoom video calls and lectures.

Unfortunately, not every family in America today, though, has access to WiFi and to modern-day technological devices, such as laptops, that make learning from home possible.

This is especially true for those residing in underserved and impoverished neighborhoods. 

The city of Detroit is no different, with a multitude of families that suffer from a lack of resources at home.

With no certainty that school will resume inside the classroom in the fall, assistance is actively needed to get these families the equipment they need to allow for their children to effectively learn from home. 

Kyle and Kayla saw the glaring void, and decided to create the aforementioned Caskey Family Foundation, which was launched during the pandemic.

"When the pandemic hit, we thought how could we give back," Kayla said. "We thought there's so much going on right now. We're just blessed that we're able to give back."  

So, they decided to do a virtual fundraiser for Gleaners, a food bank for the less fortunate with multiple locations throughout Southeast Michigan. While it was a satisfactory experience, they still knew they wanted to make an even bigger impact in the city of Detroit.    

After the senseless murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers in May, Kyle proceeded to have conversations with numerous Lions players.  

"The talks we were having over Zoom with our team were some of the most moving things I've ever been a part of," Kyle commented. "It opened my eyes to ... we all saw things that were happening. But, when you hear people that you respect, honestly, I can say it ... I love some of these guys that are on this team. You know, we've been through a lot together. So, to hear the struggles of not only them but their families and people back home -- wherever they're from -- just to hear their stories, it really moved me to say what can I do to help." 

So, he started asking around about what can a white man do to help bridge the racial divide and mitigate the racial inequalities that exist in our world today.