(PCM+) Next 1 Up Inspires a Community
(PCM+) Next 1 Up Inspires a Community
Story by Andy Hicks | Staff Writer
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As classes across Kay County settle into a new school year, Next 1 Up aims to ensure every student has the opportunity to look great, feel great and be great. Founded two years ago by Richard Broome, Andrew Simmons and Ryan Rader, the organization focuses on mental health awareness and fostering relationships with elementary schools to provide essential hygiene products and self-esteem-building programs. On Sept. 20, they will host their yearly fund-raiser, Guys and Ribeyes.
Co-founder Ryan Rader explained that Next 1 Up began as a discussion about how to help the community following a string of tragic deaths at the high school. “Richard (Broome) and I were talking, and it was like, what can we do for suicide? We all have kids, and we are busy. The only thing we could do is raise money. What does money do when a tragedy like that strikes? Money can’t fix it. We knew we had good support from friends and family. If we put something together, we could raise money, but then what do you do with that money?”
As they considered their options, Rader remembered the famous Deion Sanders quote: “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.” This inspired their vision. “We thought if we could help people look good and feel good, then maybe they would be good, they would be better,” explained Rader. “It’s really about a proactive approach to mental health.”
Through a program called the Kay County Coalition, the founders realized there needed to be more community services to provide hygiene products to area schools. Next 1 Up sprang into action, hosting the first Guys and Ribeyes event and using the proceeds to buy items to donate. “We provided shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, hair ties, laundry detergent, feminine products, deodorant, lots and lots of deodorant.”
In addition to hygiene products the organization also provides free haircuts and support of self-esteem programs. “I think everybody feels better after they get their hair cut,” says Rader. This year in addition to free haircuts, they provided scholarship money to the City Arts summer art camp program.
Raising money for school kids is in Rader’s blood. He explained that his father, who worked for the City of Winfield, decided one year to host a golf tournament with his friends and co-workers. The tournament was a success and his dad managed to raise five thousand dollars. “He took those five thousand dollars, and he donated milk money for the whole school for the year.”
Rader even attributed the name Next 1 Up to his father, who passed away 20 years ago. “Our motto is lead, act and inspire. We are trying to be the leaders, act on what we say we will do and inspire others to do something positive in the community.” He feels it is his duty to be the Next 1 Up for his community, just as his father was before him. “Next 1 Up means I am the next one up for my dad, and we want to hand this over to our kids for them to be the next one up.”
Inspired by his father’s generosity, Rader considered how Next 1 Up could raise money, recalling his father’s golf tournament success. “We were thinking what we could do and how we could raise money, and I remember my dad doing the golf tournament, and he made five grand, so I thought, let’s double it, let’s make 10 grand.”
Instead of a golf tournament, Rader turned to his passion: cooking. As one of Ponca City’s Top Chef winners, he felt food would be a great way to raise money. “All of our fundraisers are geared around food because I am passionate about food, and food makes people happy,” Rader laughed.
His father’s influence extended to the event’s concept. Rader recalled a memorable Saturday when his dad invited him to an event with the instruction to bring a sheet pan and some seasonings. At the park, surrounded by beer trucks and grills, they cooked steaks together, and the camaraderie of strangers cooking together made a lasting impression. “It was everything from grandsons, uncles, nephews, grandpas, dads, just a bunch of guys, and you cooked steaks, and when you got done with your steak, you went back through a line, and they gave the sides, and you sat down and ate it and maybe had another beer and that is just what it was.”
Next 1 Up held their first Guys and Ribeyes last year at the MLZ Ranch. Much like his memory, the event featured guys, grills and raising money for a great cause. “We had young kids to grandpas. We like the generations of men coming together,” said Rader. Despite the name, which he swears will never change, everyone – both men and women – is welcome to attend. “We are not going to turn away any women that want to support Next 1 Up; they are more than welcome to come and cook a steak,” Rader adds with a laugh.
This year, they will sell only 100 tickets to the Sept. 20 event. They have added a special theme, Sailor Jerry, hoping it will add a fun pirate twist to the festivities, including a signature drink and party favors. Every ticketholder will receive a T-shirt with this year’s theme. They also plan to showcase about 20 unique motorcycles for attendees to view, making it another exciting event. This year, their goal is to raise $15,000 through ticket sales, silent auctions and raffle items.
Rader hopes that with this year’s money they can expand their programs even further. “We are here in Ponca, but we are not ignorant to know that a lot of our support comes from surrounding cities. A lot of our friends are throughout Kay County and Chautauqua County Kansas – there are a lot of my family and friends supporting me from there so we want to expand beyond Ponca. This year we set the goal of let’s get to Blackwell, let’s get to Tonkawa, let’s get to Newkirk, let’s get to as many places as we feasibly can and what makes sense, all it takes is money. “
For more information about Next 1 Up and to purchase tickets to Guys and Ribeyes II, visit their website at next1upfoundation.org or their Facebook page @next1upfoundation.
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