Royals Prospects Carter Jensen and Noah Cameron Deliver Holiday Joy to Kansas City Teens
KANSAS CITY - Carter Jensen and Noah Cameron didn’t come bearing sleigh bells or reindeer, but they may as well have. Last week, the two Royals prospects surprised a group of Kansas City-area teens with a holiday gesture that went far beyond autographs and photo ops.
On Friday, Jensen and Cameron met with 12 baseball and softball players from the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods. The teens thought they were just there for a meet-and-greet. What they didn’t know was that each of them was about to receive a $500 gift card, courtesy of the two hometown Royals.
The reaction? At first, stunned silence.
Then came the smiles, the laughter, and the kind of joy that doesn’t need much explaining. With gift cards in hand, the group fanned out across the store - baseball gear was the first stop, naturally.
Jensen helped a few of the players pick out new bats, while Cameron offered advice on cleats and sneakers. At one point, Jensen pointed out the exact pair of cleats he wore when he recorded his first Major League hit.
One teen immediately asked a store employee if they had them in his size.
“I had no idea they were going to do this,” said 14-year-old Abby Huskey. “This is just super cool.”
The idea came from Jensen, who had already taken part in the Royals’ annual Thanksgiving turkey drive. Wanting to do more, he approached Donease Smith, the executive director of administration for the Urban Youth Academy, with an idea for a holiday shopping spree.
Cameron was quick to jump on board. For both players, this wasn’t just a feel-good event - it was personal.
Jensen hails from Parkville, Missouri. Cameron is from St.
Joseph and now lives in Liberty with his family. These aren’t just Royals players giving back - they’re Kansas City kids who made it to the big leagues and never forgot where they came from.
“If I can help put something on like this, I’m going to do it every time,” Jensen said. “I’m blessed to be in this position to help out and help give back.
Kansas City - I always tell people - is a tight-knit community. That’s what I love most about this city.
Being able to give back means a lot.”
Cameron echoed the sentiment, especially with the event being tied to the Urban Youth Academy - a place that’s become a cornerstone for baseball and softball development in the city.
“It’s just cool working with the Urban Youth Academy,” Cameron said. “Finding a way to not only give back, but give back to a Kansas City Royals-affiliated and baseball-related thing.
When we grew up, it was always there. So it’s really cool for us to give back to them and give back to some of these kids that we’ve met before.”
The duo didn’t do it alone. Royals teammates Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Wacha also chipped in, helping increase the value of each gift card. According to Jensen, there was no hesitation.
“They didn’t second-guess a thing,” he said. “They heard what they were doing, and they were amazing. They helped out and pitched in.”
The Urban Youth Academy, which opened in 2018, offers far more than just baseball and softball instruction. It’s a hub for community support, providing everything from athletic development to health screenings and educational resources for families. Its impact runs deep - just ask Jess Fullen, whose two sons were among the lucky 12 at Friday’s event.
“We went down to the Urban Youth Academy because we had come across an article about their offerings,” she said. “My oldest, Bryce, got a chance to pitch again, and he just fell in love with it again.
He’s been pitching ever since. The Urban Youth Academy gave him that opportunity.”
When Bryce, 17, and his younger brother Micah, 14, got their gift cards, they made a beeline for the baseball section. For their mom, the moment felt surreal.
“You don’t think things like this will happen to you,” she said. “It’s super generous and unexpected. Seeing the kids light up in disbelief - my youngest goes, ‘I feel like this isn’t real.’”
But it was real - and it meant just as much to the players giving as it did to the kids receiving.
“If we were in this position in another city, it’s still awesome,” Cameron said. “It’s still a really beautiful thing that we’re able to do.
But I think we know how blessed we are being in Kansas City. All the guys [on the team] tell us, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are.’
Being able to give back in our community is just a lot different than other people’s experience. We’re excited to give back to where we grew up and impact their future and their lives doing this.”
For Jensen and Cameron, this wasn’t about publicity or a headline. This was about connection - to their roots, to the next generation of ballplayers, and to a city that’s shaped them both. And for 12 Kansas City teens, it was a night they won’t soon forget.