By Delores Jones
Kansas City, MO – Tyrone Flowers was shot three times. Once in the hand. Once in his leg. And the third and final bullet went through his neck, nicking his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Perhaps this was the worse thing that could have happened to Flowers, who spent his childhood in foster homes, juvenile detention centers, mental health hospitals and cemented basements in houses he could never call home.
Flowers is 6 foot 4 and wheelchair bound. After earning a law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia Law school, he began working for the Jackson County Courts and eventually founded Higher M-Pact, a non-profit organization in Kansas City that reaches close to 4,000 people a year through a leadership program and community development projects.
Flowers' primary focus is keeping youth out of the juvenile system and the cemetary. He says that moving beyond traditional labels given to misguided youth is key
Tyrone Flowers is the founder and executive director of Higher M-Pact. Flowers and his wife Rene, who works as the organization's administrative director, hope to build Higher M-PACT youth centers throughout Kansas City.