Kasey

"I was in the fifth grade when I first started feeling badly about myself. A boy told me I was fat and needed liposuction; other kids told me I wasn't pretty or worth anything. As I got older, my view of myself led me to make poor choices and get into some really unhealthy relationships. I had my first boyfriend when I was a senior in college, and it was not good. He was emotionally abusive, but I longed so much to fit in and to feel pretty and to have a boyfriend; I sacrificed a lot of myself to keep his interest.

​"One thing I'd always dreamed of doing was working with teenage girls, but he told me I'd never be able to, that I wouldn't be good at it. Finally, one of my girlfriends took me aside and said, 'You deserve better than this.' She helped me gather the strength to leave him. My parents and friends prayed for me, helped me, and encouraged me whenever I was tempted to go back. I moved to Memphis a year ago, and now I work full-time with teenage girls through Memphis Athletic Ministries. I love it, and I love these girls. I want them to know how special and valuable they are and that they don't need to lean on boys for their self-worth. There's a Bible verse from Psalm 139 that says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That's something that I tell my girls almost every day."

Kayce brought seven teenage girls from Memphis Athletic Ministries to a performance by Playback Memphis, an improvisational theater group. 

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