KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Luke Possehl, an eight-year-old second grader at Tarwater Elementary School in Chandler, Arizona, is a fan of the Chiefs because his father, who travels for work, often visits Kansas City.
Not long ago, he brought Luke a Patrick Mahomes t-shirt, and a new Chiefs fan was born.
"The other teams have good players too,” Luke said. “But the Chiefs have the most good players, and that's why I really like them."
As part of a Black History Month project at school, Luke completed a research project about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He learned about Mahomes’ charity, 15 And The Mahomies, and told his teacher about it.
"He said, ‘When I grow up, I think I would like to do a charity,’” Sophia Limjoco, Luke’s teacher, said. “And I said, ‘You don't have to be an adult. You can do that right now.’"
Luke got right to work and recorded a commercial with the rest of his classmates. In it, they talked about the work done by 15 And The Mahomies and asked students and teachers to collect pennies for a donation.
The pennies came pouring in, Luke’s class got busy counting them, and his mom watched him learn another important lesson.
"It definitely has shown him that one person can make a difference,” Lindsey Possehl said. “You don't need to be, he says it in the commercial, you don't need to be famous and make a lot of money to do and make a difference."
In the end, between pennies and some donations from grownups, Luke ended up with a $500 check to send to 15 And The Mahomies. Executive Director Marques Fitch said every one of those pennies is greatly appreciated.
"It's kind of remarkable, because you can see how it's a domino effect,” Fitch said. “When people see people they look up to doing good, it inspires them to do good as well. And for this, for someone that's not even in the Kansas City area, it really shows how far the reach can go."
Luke said that he hopes Patrick Mahomes hears about the work his school has done, and that, just maybe, Mahomes will pay him a visit in Arizona.
Ironically, Luke’s classroom at school is room number 15. Fitch said that the $500 donation will go toward the many efforts 15 And The Mahomies supports in Kansas City, and in Mahomes’ native East Texas.
