One of our favorite phrases is “Treat Others the Way Chick-fil-A Treats You.” Kennedy Krezi grew up in a Nairobi slum, but thanks to the kindness of strangers he was given an education, food, medical care and most important of all, hope. As Christmas approaches, it’s the perfect time to fully embrace the idea of treating others the way Chick-fil-A treats you. In the latest episode of My Pleasure: The Unofficial Chick-fil-A Podcast, we’re going to give you a chance to do just that in a very special way—you’ll have the opportunity to change a child’s life, just like someone did for Kennedy.

Growing Up in Extreme Poverty

Kennedy grew up in Mathare, a collection of slums in Nairobi, Kenya. He was one of about half a million people who fight daily to survive in this dark, crowded community. There is no running water, sanitation or electricity. Kennedy shared a 10 foot square shack with his 9 brothers and sisters. His backpack was a grocery bag, and it wasn’t until he was 7 years old that he received his first pair of shoes. Listen to him tell the story:

compassion kids

At Age 7 Everything Changed

At age 7 Kennedy was matched with a sponsor from Compassion International. He shared his special memory of receiving his very first pair of shoes, but not wanting to wear them because they were so precious to him. Sponsorship provided him with education, clothing, nutritious meals, medical care, and, most of all, hope. He began to believe what his sponsors and the Compassion program leaders were telling him—that God loves him and has a plan for his life. For the first time, he started dreaming of the future. He decided to pursue further education in the States to chase his dream of impacting the Kenyan music industry.

Music and Chick-fil-A Lemonade

Kennedy says two of his favorite things are music and Chick-fil-A lemonade. He remembers his first taste of the tart drink when he moved to the US as a young adult. As for music, that was his lifeline and gave him something to pursue throughout his childhood. Now Kennedy Krezi is one of Kenya’s most renowned poets, lyricists, and Gospel hip-hop artists. Listen to some of his music:

 

He is a worship leader at his church, City Lights Church in Greeley, CO. He is also the founder and CEO of Krezi Global Management, a support and management agency for artists. Heavily influenced by his Compassion sponsor, who is a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, Kennedy now serves as an engineer in the United States Army.

Spread Hope to a Child in Poverty

You can share hope with a child like Kennedy. We are excited to tell you about two ways to sponsor a Compassion child:

  1. Text CHICK to 83393, and you will get a picture of a child to sponsor. Just follow the steps to sponsor that child.
  2. Or, to choose from multiple children – maybe you want to search by age, or country, go to compassion.com/chick.

Drink Mor Coffee Stainless Steel Tumbler

As our ‘thank you’ to you for treating others the way Chick-fil-A treats you, we’ll send you a free gift when you start sponsoring. We’ll send you a free DRINK MOR COFFEE Tumbler just to say thank you. We can’t think of a better way to show love and spread hope this holiday season.