Mentoring Coyote Hill Kids On and Off The Field

We are excited for autumn for so many reasons, but especially because the fall ushers in a new college football season! This year, we have an extra incentive to cheer on the Missouri Tigers.

For the last four years, we have partnered with Mizzou Football and For Others, Chris Tomlin’s Foundation, to host Night of Champions, an afternoon football camp for children impacted by foster care and adoption. This year, over 60 children participated!

Through this amazing experience, we have been able to build a relationship with Brady Cook, Mizzou’s starting quarterback. Brady has participated in Night of Champions since his freshman year. Each year, Brady is paired with a Coyote Hill kiddo. This has been a huge source of encouragement and mentorship for children!

One Columbia foster parent shared that this experience gave her son a sense of consistency, even when he moved homes: “It’s a huge confidence booster, and it gave him something to look forward to every year.”

Last year, Brady continued to mentor children in Coyote Hill homes through our “Let Brady Cook” fundraiser. Individuals who donated money received an exclusive video of Brady cooking a meal for the Culbertson family, who recently adopted two sons out of foster care.

Brady spent the entire evening connecting with this family. He gave their older son advice about balancing sports and schoolwork, and helped their younger son prepare for an impending Nerf gun war. It was so fun to see how excited these boys were to share their interests with Brady, and how intentional he was while interacting with them.

“I was blessed to have a really good upbringing,” Brady shared in this video. “Playing the sport of football, I’ve met people and teammates from all different walks of life, and I’ve seen people who haven’t had such a good upbringing. So [working with] a place like Coyote Hill and knowing that everything I do can make a real difference means a lot to me.”

Brady partners with Midwest BankCentre, and he connected them with Coyote Hill this summer. Through this connection, Brady created another unique, meaningful experience for children in Coyote Hill homes. Midwest BankCentre generously provided full scholarships for 30 children to attend Brady’s football camp!

Many previous Night of Champions participants were able to attend, as well as both of the Culbertson sons! Two Coyote Hill participants actually won camp MVPs due to their outstanding performance!

“It is something that stuck with me after the first Night of Champions event with the Mizzou football team a few years ago,” Brady said. “I realized how many kids needed safe homes, and the people helping them were so passionate about what they did. I want to help Coyote Hill in any way I can.”

Lake Day 2024

We had a great Lake Day this year! Every August, all of the families living in our Harrisburg Foster Care Community are invited to Lake Day at the Glennon’s! This year was the 15th annual Lake Day. We had a wonderfully sunny day spent tubing, swimming, floating, and spending time with one another! Every year, […]

Back to School with Coyote Hill 2024

Thank you so much to all of our school supplies donors! So many individuals and businesses went above and beyond to ensure Coyote Hill kiddos had everything they needed to start the school year off well. 105 individuals, businesses, and groups sponsored 175 children’s school supplies this year, including: Mizzou Football, First State Community Bank […]