KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The award recognizes athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the field.

His nomination for the Chiefs — each NFL franchise gets a nominee — is the result of his work with his nonprofit 87 and Running powered Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab in Kansas City.

The staff says Kelce’s passion for helping teenagers drove him to purchase a muffler shop on-site and help fundraise for what is now known as the Ignition Lab.

The Operation Breakthrough CEO told KCTV that when Kelce was first nominated for Man of the Year in 2020, this was merely an idea. Today, it has been able to make a big impact on Kansas City youth.

Many of the students there have even gotten the chance to talk with Kelce and say he has made a positive impact on their lives.

“Travis Kelce, even when the cameras are off, me and him got a good relationship,” said Ignition Lab participant Javion Mahone.

Mahone has been with the Ignition Lab since his freshman year of high school. Now a senior, the lab helped open his eyes to the future with aspirations of a career in graphic design.

“Before I came here, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school but this gave me more ideas,” said Mahone.

He met Travis Kelce during a Celebrity Challenge at Operation Breakthrough where he gave him advice after suffering a knee injury he got from playing football. They’ve been connected ever since.

“Having that type of energy come from a person on a high level shows, like, it’s actually possible,” he said.

From one tight end to another, Mahone sees Kelce as a source of inspiration on and off the field.

“He just gives me tips when I ask him, not even through sports just life in general,” he said.

The Ignition Lab serves 400 high school students in Kansas City and offers a vast list of educational opportunities in computer tech, culinary arts, and digital media. Most of these students either pursue higher education or enter the workforce.

Thanks to Kelce’s support, teens have been able to complete 300 projects.

“I think it’s been huge having Travis because it’s almost like he’s become a spokesman for the work that happens here and the impact that it has on teens and as he’s gotten busier and his world has changed in terms of everything that he’s doing, he still manages to share us with his circle of influence,” said Operation Breakthrough CEO Mary Esselman.

All of this was made possible by Kelce’s dream that allows these teens to dream big.

“Hopefully a lot more people will see that impact that he’s having on a lot of youth here in Kansas City,” said Esselman.

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