The mere thought and spark of a vision of a Lake Park woman turned into big dreams for many underprivileged children.

The journey it took to accomplish the task of directing paths into prosperous futures was no fairy tale, and not even Hollywood could have scripted the ending any better.

“I didn’t know how big it would be,” said Athletes 2 Champions Founder Cathy Biles Parker, after making national news for the project she spearheaded into action.

A2C is a non-profit charity that uses athletics as a tool to bless others. The mission statement says it best: “It is the desire of A2C to EQUIP communities with the resources necessary to assist athletic programs, INSPIRE coaches and leaders to become mentors of young athletes, and DEVELOP character in young athletes, encouraging them to share their God-given talents.”

That is just what the organization has been doing since its beginning in February 2007.

Parker saw a program on TV depicting the life of many young children who lived in a small reservation community in Barrow, Alaska, the most northern American settlement.

The community was infested with drugs, suicides and crime; many of the young men dropped out of school or were doing very poorly in their academics. A football program was started in the town, but it was very difficult to get other teams to travel there and play because of the rural location, not to mention, there were no grassy fields for play.

The legislature was looking for a way to keep kids in school and away from drugs.

Parker decided she wanted to help the young men in Barrow.

“I remember getting ready for church and having a vision to help those kids get the turf field they needed and teach them how to play football,” the pioneer said. “At the time, Carl (Cathy’s husband) worked for a place in Jacksonville putting turf down on football fields. The hurdle was trying to get the money raised. We are a sports family; I knew a football program would work, but it wasn’t going to be easy, though. We knew it was controversial because of the money involved.”

The importance of sports and helping others date back to the Parkers’ humble beginnings.

Cathy and Carl were both raised in Valdosta and attended Lowndes High School.

Later, the couple moved to sunny Jacksonville, Fla. Carl was drafted to the Cincinnati Bengals and was with the team during the 1989 Super Bowl. During the off-seasons, the Parkers and their four children journeyed back to their home in Valdosta. Carl kept busy by coaching at Lowndes High School, Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville and, during their three years living in Augusta, he coached softball at Lakeside High School.

The couple’s children were also bitten by the sports bug.

Son, Kyle, 22, was a quarterback at Clemson University and first round draft pick by the Colorado Rockies where he currently plays for the club’s minor-league team.

Collin, 20, played both football and baseball while in high school. He currently lives in Valdosta and works in the farming industry.

Kendall, 18, will play football for the University of North Carolina next fall, and 16-year-old Cara plays softball at Lowndes High.

After developing A2C, the entire Parker family and the organization began raising money to purchase and transport an artificial turf field to Barrow. When it was all said and done, 650,000 pounds of products was shipped to Barrow to create a football field.

“People from all across the U.S. started sending us checks,” Cathy said. “With the supporters’ help, we raised nearly $850,000.”

That money not only helped install a playing field, it funded an unforgettable trip for the Barrow boys to the lower 48.

“Many of the boys from that reservation had never been outside of their community,” Carl said. “They flew down to Jacksonville to learn the game of football from our guys. It was a life-changing experience for them and us. It was absolutely phenomenal. We taught them from a godly perspective. A lot of the kids had little to no hope before coming down. We really got a lot of help from people to ensure the whole trip could be possible. During their visit, the boys stayed in the homes of our football players. That time was not just about teaching kids how to play sports, it was an opportunity to plant a seed into them.”

The couple said after the boys returned to Barrow, a significant change developed in that community. In a place where reportedly 60 percent of the male population never completed high school, 32 of the boys from the initial football program graduated.

“Whoever says that sports are not necessary in schools, that they don’t teach kids the basic fundamentals of life or give kids a sense of pride and encourage them to want to do better, is wrong,” Carl injected. “We have seen firsthand how sports pulled a small community together in Barrow, Alaska. Education alone did not change the mentality of that community. It was implementing athletics that gave so much to those boys in.”

Cathy said, “It did what it was supposed to do. It unified a community. It gave the boys a purpose to stay in school.”

The community was so touched by the heartfelt gesture of Cathy’s actions, it named the playing field after her. The football jerseys worn by the Barrow players bear her name. When news spread across the U.S., ABC featured Cathy as a Person of the Week for her caring heart, hard work and dedication to a community far away from her own.

A beautiful blue-and-gold field was installed just in time for the Whalers opening game on Aug. 17, 2007. In front of national media, the Whalers won their opening game and the hearts of people across the US.

With the success of Project Alaska Turf, A2C was equipped with talented and willing leadership who began seeking ways to continue blessing others through athletics.

“One thing Cathy felt strongly about was that football was a way to teach kids about life,” Carl said. “What God has allowed us to do, has affected hundreds of thousands of kids.”

After completing their work in Barrow, A2C helped a program in Jacksonville obtain uniforms for kids in lower-income communities as well as in St. Augustine. The organization also started camps in North and South Carolina, Augusta, Ga., Jacksonville, and Alaska. Cathy said they hope to start a camp in South Georgia.

“We have helped other communities. Now we want to see what we can do in our own,” she said. “We are always looking for assistance and volunteers. We all have an obligation to the community in which we live. Our lives have been blessed, and we just want to give some of that back. We are all about what can be done to change kids’ lives right now.

Throughout moves, different jobs and helping others, the Parker children learned to adapt.

“Our kids have embraced what we do,” Cathy said. “They may not always like everything, but they know how important it is and they just do it. We have helped them over the years to understand how important it is to help someone who’s less fortunate. They have recognized that not everyone has what they have.”

That “pay it forward” guidance was definitely received by Kyle. After signing with the Colorado Rockies, he made a donation to the A2C organization that paid for the entire camp held this past July in Aiken, S.C.

The family recently moved to Lake Park. Currently, Cathy is a motivational speaker who addresses churches and other venues on relying on your faith, what it’s like to raise athletic children in the public’s eye as well as speaking on the importance of education. She also continues working on projects in Jacksonville, works with National Dropout Prevention, partnering with professional athletes, and organizes the sporting camps for kids.

Carl recently started a new job and also assists in these areas. He still finds time to mentor and coach young men. The couple’s children assist when possible. Kyle has attended all but one of the summer camps. In the latest camp, Kyle partnered with Florida State University Seminole pitcher Hunter Scanting of Jacksonville.

The couple, Carl in particular, has worked with several athletes when they were just kids themselves. One in particular is Tennessee Titan Jamie Harper. At the Aiken camp, Harper took time to encourage the kids to stay in school. Carl said it made him proud to see a former student giving back a little of what he had received.

“The first thing he did after becoming successful was give back,” Carl mentioned. “For a lot of these kids we coach, mentor and teach, we are the closest things they actually have to a father figure.”

After this interview, Cathy received an e-mail stating the Barrow Whalers football team was competing for the state championship title, something that did not seem possible just four years ago.

To find out more about A2C or how to become a sponsor, go to www.athletes2champions.org or call Cathy Parker at (904)347-6258.