ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Summer has started, Father’s Day is almost here and KL Training Solutions is full to the brim with kids.
KLTS is a youth mentorship organization providing Buncombe County youth ages five to 27 with year-round educational resources, workforce training and cultural enrichment opportunities. The nonprofit began in 2012 as a men’s discussion group in one West Asheville apartment complex. In the 14 years since, KLTS has grown into a massive apparatus of care, guiding local kids through adolescence with programs like My Daddy Taught Me That, My Sister Taught Me That and the KL Impact Academy.
KLTS was founded by Keynon Lake, who now runs the organization with his wife and “director of all things,” Jacquelyn Lake.
Tighter budget, more kids
As summer has dawned and KLTS summer camp has started, the Lakes said that the demand for youth programming has risen dramatically, reflecting a trend present since Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina in September 2024…