From the Radio Studio to the Finish Line: How We Met Kasey Kinsley… and Why We’re Not Surprised He Came Back to Help
Sometimes, you meet someone for the first time and have no idea that the moment is going to matter later. Last fall, Family Promise of Hunterdon County received an email from two Hunterdon Central Regional High School students, Kasey Kinsley and Jackson Hopkins. They were working on a radio-class project and had been asked to interview a local nonprofit… and they chose us.
That first email was simple enough. They wanted to learn more about Family Promise of Hunterdon County, homelessness in Hunterdon County and the work we do with local families. They asked if someone from our organization would be willing to participate in an interview. Of course we said yes! We just didn’t know yet that we were about to meet someone who would eventually become the 2025–26 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Track & Field Player of the Year… and who would later choose Family Promise of Hunterdon County as the recipient of his $1,000 Gatorade Player of the Year Community Grant. And we certainly didn’t know that, nearly a year later, we’d be sitting here thinking: Yep. That sounds like Kasey.
It Started With a Radio Interview
The meeting happened at Hunterdon Central, where Dawn Hartfelder, then FPHC’s Development Director, and Warren Searles, then Board President and interim Executive Director, met Kasey and Jackson at the school’s radio studio. (And this was not some kid-with-a-microphone situation.) Hunterdon Central has a serious Broadcast Technologies program. The school describes its audio-production curriculum as providing students with hands-on experience in a real radio studio, including sound, consoles, microphones, production and FM station operations, along with broadcast performance, news, programming and the history of broadcasting. Advanced students can work with the school’s student-run station, 90.5 WCVH, and learn interviewing techniques, audience research, management and copywriting. The station itself has been part of Hunterdon Central for more than five decades. WCVH began broadcasting from the school in 1974, and the school’s current campus still houses an FM radio station and television studio in its communications facilities.
Walking into that studio, Dawn and Warren were immediately impressed by how professional the whole operation was… but more importantly, they were impressed by the students. Kasey and Jackson had done their homework. They weren’t simply looking for a few easy questions to check off an assignment. They wanted to understand FPHC. They wanted to know how the organization works, how it is funded, who it partners with and, most importantly, what homelessness actually looks like in their own community. This really mattered because homelessness can be one of those subjects people think they understand until they actually start asking questions.
- Is Family Promise of Hunterdon completely volunteer-run?
- How is the organization funded?
- Who does it work with?
- What happens when someone loses housing?
- What does it actually take to help a family become stable?
Those were the kinds of questions Kasey and Jackson were asking, and Dawn remembers the experience. “It was such a pleasure to meet Kasey and Jackson,” she says. “They were prepared, they asked terrific questions and they genuinely wanted to understand what homelessness looks like here in Hunterdon County and what it takes to help families move forward. We left that interview feeling like we had met two young people who really cared about their community.”
At the time, it was simply a really good afternoon; good interview, good connection, a couple of high school students doing a thoughtful project… and then Kasey went and did what Kasey apparently does. He got very, very good at something.
Then Came the Track
Kasey had only begun running track in his sophomore year of high school, according to Gatorade. By his senior season, he had become one of the state’s standout athletes. And not just in one event! The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Hunterdon Central senior competed in hurdles and pole vault, winning the 400-meter hurdles at both the NJSIAA Group 4 State Meet and the Meet of Champions. His Meet of Champions time of 51.91 seconds ranked among the nation’s top prep performances in the event. He finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at Nike Outdoor Nationals, earning Second Team All-American honors. He was also a student, a Scouting America member, a lifeguard and a youth track coach. Gatorade specifically recognized his character and community involvement as part of its Player of the Year selection. And then came the big announcement:
Kasey Kinsley was named the 2025–26 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Track & Field Player of the Year.
That is a pretty remarkable accomplishment… but there’s something else about the Gatorade award that makes this story especially meaningful to us. The award isn’t only about what an athlete can do on a track. Gatorade says its Player of the Year program recognizes athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character… including a commitment to community. Every State Player of the Year receives an opportunity to give back – Kasey chose us.
Kasey Came Back to the Community
Through Gatorade’s Player of the Year Community Grant program, each of the 610 State Player of the Year recipients receives a grant to direct to a social impact partner. Gatorade says the program has now provided more than $6.4 million in grants to more than 2,200 organizations. Kasey’s choice was Family Promise of Hunterdon County. So the student who first met us because he wanted to learn about homelessness in Hunterdon County came back nearly a year later with $1,000 to help us continue doing the work. That’s a pretty wonderful full-circle moment. Honestly We’re not surprised.
We saw the curiosity and the community-mindedness before we knew about the records… before the awards… before Gatorade… before the headlines. (We met the kid first 😉 …and the kid we met was interested in his community.)
The $1,000 Matters. But the Connection Matters More.
Let’s be clear: $1,000 is not going to solve homelessness in Hunterdon County. We aren’t going to pretend it will. Homelessness is complex and multi-faceted. But $1,000 does matter. Especially right now. Family Promise of Hunterdon County is working in a difficult funding environment at a time when the need for housing stability remains very real. Our work requires funding for direct assistance, housing, outreach, prevention, supportive services and the countless practical things that help a family move from crisis toward stability.
And that means we need our community… not ‘someday’ or only when there is a major fundraising campaign. Now! Kasey’s gift is one piece of that larger picture, reminding us that community support doesn’t have to come in one particular form. It looks like $1,000. Sometimes it looks like $25. Sometimes it looks like a business sponsoring one of our fundraising events. Sometimes it looks like a person volunteering at one.
Sometimes it looks like a landlord calling us because they have a rental property and want to help a local family find a home and sometimes it looks like someone saying, “I have a car I’m not using. Could that help someone?” It can look like a group of friends deciding they want to cook dinner for a family in one of our transitional homes or a local business connecting us with another business. Sometimes it looks like showing up… and sometimes it looks like two high school students deciding that a local nonprofit is worth learning about.
A Home Is More Than an Address
When we talk about homelessness, it is easy to make the problem sound enormous and abstract… but our work isn’t abstract at all. It is people… like a parent trying to keep a job while figuring out where the family will sleep or a person who has finally found employment but doesn’t have reliable transportation to get there. It is the real-life families that can afford rent but can’t overcome the upfront costs of moving into a new place. It is a landlord who wants to rent to someone but needs a little help making the arrangement work… and it is the people who have been living in instability for long enough that the idea of having a permanent home feels almost impossible. Yes, right here in Hunterdon County… and it is a community deciding that those people are worth helping.
That’s why connections matter so much. Housing stability doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes landlords, employers, neighbors, volunteers, donors, businesses, faith communities, civic organizations… People with cars, with kitchens, with spare time. with an empty rental, with a business that can sponsor an event… people with a skill they are willing to share… people who can give $10, who can give $1,000, who can introduce us to someone else who can help.
And There May Be Another Chapter to Kasey‘s Story
There’s one more part of the Gatorade program that we can’t help but find exciting. Every State Player of the Year has the opportunity to submit a short video explaining why the organization they selected deserves additional support. Gatorade then selects one organization connected to each of its 12 sports to receive a $10,000 Spotlight Grant. So, yes… there is potentially another chapter here. We don’t know what Kasey will decide to do or what Gatorade will decide… and we certainly aren’t counting any chickens. But we do know this:
We already know Kasey can tell a story. We’ve witnessed it. He and Jackson came prepared to that radio interview and asked the questions. They listened and they wanted to understand, so if Kasey decides to tell Gatorade why Family Promise of Hunterdon County deserves a Spotlight Grant, we know there is something very real to say about this amazing community…. because he didn’t choose us because he saw our name on a list. He chose us because he had taken the time to learn about the work.
This Is What Community Looks Like
There is something wonderfully fitting about the fact that this story began in a radio studio. Broadcasting is about connection. When you have something to say and someone else is willing to listen… somehow, across the space between you, a connection is made. That’s what happened when Kasey and Jackson invited Family Promise of Hunterdon County into their school project. And that’s what happened again when Kasey had the opportunity to give something back.
One conversation became a relationship and that relationship became a grant and the grant has become a reminder to all of us that community is something we build… one connection at a time.
Julie Hanley, Executive Director of Family Promise, puts it simply:
“Community support does not have to look one particular way. It can be a gift, a volunteer hour, a car, a rental property, a meal or simply an introduction to someone who can help. Kasey’s story shows how one connection can grow into something that makes a real difference.”
We couldn’t agree more, and if you are reading this and wondering whether there is a place for you in the work of Family Promise, there is.
- Maybe you’re ready to volunteer.
- Maybe you own a business and would like to sponsor one of our events.
- Maybe your company has a community-giving program.
- Maybe you’re a landlord with a rental property.
- Maybe you have a vehicle you no longer need.
- Maybe your church, civic group, school or community organization wants to partner with us.
- Maybe you’d like to prepare a meal for a family.
- Maybe you simply want to make a donation.
- Or maybe you know somebody we should know.
Start the conversation. Reach out to Family Promise of Hunterdon County. Tell us what you have, what you care about or what you’d like to do. We’ll figure out the rest together because that’s what community does. As Kasey Kinsley’s story reminds us, you never know where one conversation might lead.
Hunterdon Promises… Everyone Deserves a Home.
Want to Be Part of the Connection?
- Volunteer with Family Promise – Find a way to share your time, talents or energy with local families.
- Support Our Work – Every contribution helps Family Promise continue preventing and ending homelessness in Hunterdon County.
- Become a Business or Community Partner – Sponsorships, event partnerships and creative collaborations help us bring the community together around housing stability.
- Have a Rental Property? – Landlords can connect with Family Promise about opportunities to help local families secure stable housing.
- Have a Vehicle to Donate? – Reliable transportation can be the difference between getting to work and losing a job. If you have a vehicle that could help someone regain stability, talk to us.
- Want to Bring Your Group? – Faith communities, civic organizations, schools, businesses and community groups can create meaningful volunteer and partnership opportunities with Family Promise.
- Come Have Some Fun With Us – Our fundraising events are another way to support the mission… while having a genuinely good time with the people who make Hunterdon County such a special place.
Connect with Family Promise of Hunterdon County!
And Kasey – thank you. Thank you for asking questions. Thank you for listening. Thank you for remembering. And thank you for choosing to bring your incredible accomplishment back home to Hunterdon County.
- Hunterdon Central, Voorhees and North Hunterdon track athletes shine | Sports | newjerseyhills.com
- Kasey Kinsley Gatorade 2025 – 2026: Player of the Year Boys Track & Field – New Jersey PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Kasey Kinsley Named NJ Boys Gatorade Athlete of The Year
- Congratulations to Kasey… – Hunterdon Central Regional High School | Facebook
—
- Become a monthly supporter
- Share our mission with others
- Sign up for our newsletter: tinyurl.com/HunterdonNews
If you’re interested in getting connected to community events like that, find ways to GET INVOLVED here on our website. Together, we can help families overcome crisis and move forward with dignity, hope, and the support they deserve.
by Dawn Hartfelder – updated 9/1/2026
