Staying up late is a normal routine for junior Kandyce Fitzpatrick. She is usually up until midnight or even later trying to get her homework done because she spends the majority of her day devoting her time to KK’s Inspirations. KK’s was started a year ago by her mother, Kary Fitzpatrick, and is a non-profit organization that strives to help homeless, elderly and underprivileged kids in the Collin County area.
Every night at six Kandyce along with her mother, volunteers and other students go and the homeless who accept help from KK’s. This service has become a routine for Kandyce but often makes schoolwork and sleep difficult.
“It is a struggle getting homework done but I manage to do it,” Kandyce said. “Getting homework done has to be put off to later times. My parents are really supportive with it. They help me out with my homework, and whenever I’m struggling they allow me to stay home that night.”
Kary Fitzpatrick is the owner and founder of the organization and takes care of the donation storage as well as the legal and financial portion of the work, however Kandyce is her second in command and is always by her side.
“Whenever she needs a right-hand man, I’m there,” Kandyce said. “ We have a lot of teenagers who are involved that [also] help her with the organization, event coordinators, and other stuff as well.”
Kandyce believe that KK’s is essential to the community because it helps people in need. In fact, a lot of the homeless feeding is near Avenue K in Plano’s backyard. The people that KK’s are helping are not eligible to enter shelters.
“They really need our attention,” Kandyce said. ”They are neglected and pushed to the side. They are just like everybody else. Most people think they re horrible because of the things they have done [and] that they deserve to be there. They all have a story to tell and all have lived some kind of life, and they are all learning from their mistakes.”
One of the greatest rewards that Kandyce has experienced with all of this is the gaining of new friends, adding to what she calls “The KK’s Krew” which consists of all of the volunteers involved, the homeless, and the elderly at the nursing homes whom have been adopted by the “Krew”. If KK’s continues to grow as it has been, they hope to gain enough recognition and donations to obtain their own facility which will allow anyone in need to shower, sleep and eat. Kandyce hopes to see this expansion engulf most of Texas so that they not only change lives, but change communities.
“Homeless aren’t what everybody think they are,” Kandyce said. “Everybody thinks [that] pitbulls, bikers and homeless are all in the same category. [Society] shouldn’t judge people [due] to the fact that they are homeless. [People] should stand up and get to know somebody.”